Tomáš Kantor

Notes

Critical Praise for Tomáš Kantor THE INHERITANCE The Age (Cameron Woodhead) “If you saw the outrageously talented Kantor as Feste in Twelfth Night last year, you’ll know he can sing and dance and clown. As Toby – A saturnine, hedonistic and traumatised artist whose destructive spiral damages those around him – he proves a star in a marathon dramatic role, bringing a quicksilver touch to a slow-motion train wreck of a character, unlikable and charismatic in compelling equipoise. You really can’t look away.” Australian Book Review (Tim Byrne) “Toby is the play’s most compelling character, a long way from the Helen of Forster’s imagination but containing enough of her spirit, vivacity, and impetuousness to remain recognisable. Kantor is astonishing in the role, mercurial and dangerous, self-destructive but hypnotically sexy too…These two young actors (Kantor and Richmond), already making a name for themselves in notable roles around the country, seem here to emerge as fully fledged stars.” Artshub (Jenna Schroder) “As is the way with theatre epics, the star of the show is the writer – for daring to attempt such a feat in an age of short-form online content and keeping audiences engrossed for almost all of the play’s long duration. But Tomáš Kantor, playing the role of Toby so captivatingly, gives López a run for his money. Kantor balances Toby’s charm and cruelty with precision – maintaining a sense of Toby’s essence even as the character’s identity unravels. When Kantor steps on stage, the show’s energy lifts as if everyone’s excited to see what he’ll do next. Part Two is worse off for the long stretches of Toby’s absence.” Australian Arts Review (Keith Gow) “A lot is asked of Tomáš Kantor as Toby Darling, a character you would empathise with deeply, if only he’d let you. Kantor plays Toby as a firecracker who could go off at any minute, desperate to capitalise on his recent career fortunes but unable to be honest with himself about himself. The idea that Toby has made a career writing biographical works based on a him that doesn’t exist, presents Kantor with a challenge – what glimpses might they give to Toby’s vulnerabilities. The moment(s) he cracks devastate and reverberate. A truly stunning turn.” Limelight (Guy Webster) “Eric Glass (a tender Charles Purcell) and Toby Darling (an electrifying Tomáš Kantor) are our estimable hosts… highlights among the cast include Kantor, whose acerbic personality and magnetic charm hides a skittishness and vulnerability that proved impossible to look away from.” Man In Chair (Simon Parris) “Unafraid to explore a fundamentally unlikeable character, Tomáš Kantor imbues self-destructive narcissist Toby Darling with compelling presence, to the extent that the character is missed for stretches in which he does not appear.” My Melbourne Arts (Myron Mai) “Tomáš Kantor delivers a compelling performance as the self-absorbed but highly troubled writer boyfriend to Eric, Toby Darling. Kantor shows great skill in their ability to simultaneously convey Toby's arrogance as well as his anxieties and fears in a very challenging role. Purcell and Kantor make a wonderful pairing with their scenes together as they elicit a strong sense of history and familiarity to their relationship.” TWELFTH NIGHT “Fairbairn has the alarmingly talented Tomas Kantor play Feste – usually Twelfth Night’s most rational character – like some refugee from The Rocky Horror Show, while singing the songs in a voice akin to Blasko’s own, and being a ringmaster for this circus of zanies.”  (John Shand) Sydney Morning Herald: Bell Shakespeare - ‘Twelfth Night’ “Another drawcard is Sarah Blasko’s music. Her songs achieve a haunting and ethereal melancholy. They’re sung in an exquisite, almost epicene register by Tomas Kantor, whose vampy, cabaret-style Feste seems to hover charismatically between feminine and masculine worlds.” - (Cameron Woodhead) The Age: Bell Shakespeare - ‘Twelfth Night’ "Kantor is a mesmerising Feste, communicating masterfully through music and movement, drawing ironic attention to the other characters’ conflicts with wordplay as both sword and shield...(their) aurally and visually stunning performances of Blasko’s songs augment and underline the overall narrative." - (Nanci Nott) Arts Hub: Bell Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' “The play’s action is all but stage-managed by Olivia’s jester, Feste, played salaciously and sardonically by Tomáš Kantor, who is given almost as much camp licence to run the show as Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, though he’s more nuanced than that. Kantor’s flair seems to borrow from Marc Bolan’s rock and roll playfulness in T-Rex, if not a touch of Red Symonds from Skyhooks and the wryness of Tim Minchin when singing at the piano, strutting about in a pair of cherry-coloured heels that would make Dorothy envious, and all this rounded off with an Elizabethan ruff to present an updated Feste with just enough room to contain Kantor’s flamboyancy.” (Kirk Dodd) Australian Book Review: Bell Shakespeare - ‘Twelfth Night’ “Feste, originally a jester in the court of wealthy countess Olivia, is played beautifully by non-binary actor Tomáš Kantor as a social butterfly who also traverses Orsino’s court, blurring behavioural boundaries wherever he goes…As flagged by Sarah Blasko’s melancholy settings of the Bard’s songs, which act like a Greek chorus when sung with smoldering intensity by Kantor, this production delves into the darkness behind a world obsessed with appearances.” (Michael Bailey) Financial Review: Bell Shakespeare - ‘Twelfth Night’ "Sarah Blasko’s tunes, performed by Tomáš Kantor, have the perfect mix of gaiety and menace...Kantor is a standout as the wise fool Feste" Seesaw: Bell Shakespeare 'Twelfth Night' THE DIVINE MISS BETTE "...the best supporting comedy performances I’ve caught in a long time...Vendetta (Tomáš Kantor) not only give(s) us great vocals, they steal moments left and right...When they get their own moment to shine – it doesn’t disappoint...Is Tomáš Kantor the MVP of the Sydney MT scene, I think so." Cultural Binge: Darlinghurst Theatre Company 'The Divine Miss Bette'