What the press has been saying....
as William Carney
A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE
Cape Rep Theatre - Brewster, MA
Broadway World Award Nomination: Best Supporting Performer in a Musical
“An exemplary ensemble brings gentle humor and emotional heft to a believable community of neighbors navigating love, regrets, and religion. Also topical is the satirical “Books” as Alfie’s sister and butcher Carney — played by Kevin McMahon, making an impressive Cape Rep. debut — musically question the influence of Alfie’s reading choices.” Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll, THE PROVINCETOWN INDEPENDENT
“Jess Andra’s Lily and Kevin McMahon’s Carney individually had emotional scenes, and together, they were deliciously funny on the song ‘Books.’” Amy Tagliaferri, THE CAPE COD CHRONICLE
“Kevin McMahon, as Carney, adds pizzaz as he leads the company in the snappy song and dance ‘Going Up!’” Deb Forman, CAPE COD TIMES
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as Bert Healy in
ANNIE
Ogunquit Playhouse at The Music Hall
“The rest of the cast adds to the “Annie” sparkle, especially Doug Carfrae as FDR and Kevin McMahon as Bert Healy, the radio star who warbles “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile” with the Boylan Sisters”. Nancye Tuttle - SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE
“The scene recreating a 1930’s radio broadcast where Oliver Warbucks takes to the air offering a reward to find the birth parents of Annie, it is filled with nostalgia. Kevin McMahon plays host Bert Healy wearing a straw hat and accompanied by a ventriloquist with a dummy, and a sound effects man.” Bobby Franklin - BOXING OVER BROADWAY
as Mr. Sowerberry/Dr. Grimwig in
OLIVER!
Musical Theatre West - Long Beach, CA
“Character work is so important in this story and all of the actors bring so much to their roles, many of them playing multiple parts. Cynthia Ferrer and Kevin McMahon are grim and sassy as the Sowerberrys.” Don Grigware - BROADWAY WORLD
“Moreover, Kevin McMahon and Cynthia Ferrer both do double duty in several widely varying roles. He, as the sodden Mortician “Mr. Sowerberry”, then as Brownlow’s always bloviating (but in reality, generous and caring) pal, “Mr. Grimwig”; she, as the shrewish, colder-than-a-corpse herself, “Mrs. Sowerberry”, then as Brownlow’s maternal-spirited housekeeper, “Mrs. Bedwin”. Done-up in their more sepulchral personas, think of them as Victorian society’s answer to “Rocky Horror’s” “Riff Raff” and “Magenta”, where their primary ‘spot-light’ moment together ensues early on with “That’s Your Funeral”–a fiendishly gleeful exaltation over the profession they’ve chosen” Leo Bucks - BUCKING TRENDS
“Rarely has a Broadway musical given a cast as many memorable cameos as Oliver!, allowing some SoCal’s finest performers, from relative newbies to longtime stage vets, to shine briefly and brightly on the Carpenter Center stage. McMahon and Ferrer’s deliciously dour Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry come straight out of a Victorian illustration for the original Oliver Twist.” Steven Stanley - STAGE SCENE LA
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as Stanford Adams in
BRIGHT STAR
Ahamanson Theatre - National Tour
"The mayor’s slippery assistant, Stanford Adams, a quite small character in terms of stage time, becomes a fully dimensional comic gem in the hands of veteran Kevin McMahon." Samuel Garza Bernstein - STAGE AND CINEMA
"A wildly talented and deeply committed cast." P'nina Topham - BROADWAY WORLD
"Superb ensemble" Kevin T Baldwin - TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
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as Adam/Noah in
CHILDREN OF EDEN
Cabrillo Music Theatre - Thousand Oaks, CA
Broadway World Award Nomination: Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Local Production)
Robby Award Nomination: Best Leading Actor in a Musical
"Kevin McMahon's lovingly optimistic Adam and his plain-speaking Noah are skilled characterizations which prove a solid foundation for the show. McMahon's voice is always a pleasure to hear, but his innate musicality and communicative skills are what make a duet like "The Hardest Part of Love", sung with Father, the dramatic highlight of the show." Michael Van Duzer - Showmag
"Cabrillo Music Theatre has outdone itself with this show giving audiences an extraordinary lead cast, beautiful lyrical dancing, a full orchestra and a cast of nearly fifty, Kevin McMahon shows his dramatic dexterity playing both Adam and Noah. McMahon’s puts so much meaning in every note and lyric fulfilling every songs’ dramatic purpose—“A World Without You” and “What is He Waiting For?” are fantastic." Ryan M. Luévano - Tin Pan LA
"McMahon truly shows the heartbreaking decision he must make between Father and Eve in the beautiful "A World Without You". He really shines as the mature and commanding Noah, fueled by his own doubts but emboldened by his love for and from his family. His duet with Large on "The Hardest Part of Love" is one of the show's many musical highlights." Rob Steven - HainesHisWay.com
"The headlining trio of Misty Cotton, Norman Large and Kevin McMahon are hard working, talented and more than capable of steering this ship - or ark, as the case may be - into port. McMahon nicely distinguishes Adam from Noah (both characters are torn apart by rebellious son problems). The actor who was so winningly naive at the start of creation convincingly shows Adam transitioning from son to father with ageless finesse." Evan Henderson - CurtainUp
"It will lift your spirit and break your heart at once. The talent is phenomenal. Misty Cotton, Kevin McMahon and Norman Large are stunning." Tony Frankel - Stage and Cinema
"Exquisite! Stage vets Cotton, McMahon and Large have some of the best pipes in this or any town". Steven Stanley - Stage Scene LA
The ensemble led by Misty Cotton, Norman Large and Kevin McMahon are superior! Don Grigware - Grigware Reviews
"Joyous! An outstanding cast! The leads (Misty Cotton, Norman Large and Kevin McMahon) embrace their roles with zest." Rita Moran - Ventura County Star
"Superlative casting! McMahon shines in the dual roles of Adam and Noah, and is faced with the first of several choices that has to be made by characters in the show, when Adam must choose between obeying Father or eating from the tree of Knowledge and being banished from Eden along with Eve,. In Act II, McMahon (now playing Noah) and Large sing "The Hardest Part of Love", which Schwartz says is the song that best espouses his philosophy of life" Cary Ginell - BroadwayWorld.com
"Spectacular! McMahon’s Adam/Noah was a wonderful counterpoint to Cotton’s Eve. He, too, had the childish nature that came across in Act I, but with a much more obedient streak, which made his portrayal of making the decision between his wife and his father a more painful one. His standout performance, however, in my eyes, was in “The Hardest Part of Love”, where he captured the true emotion of what it means to be a father." Daniel P Faigin - Observations Along The Road
as Man #3 in
SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM (Los Angeles Premiere)
International City Theatre - Long Beach, CA
"One of the year's best Southern California musical theatre productions. McMahon is gentle, vulnerable and heartbreakingly honest in the Bobby persona as he leads the company in 'Being Alive'". Eric Marchese, Orange County Register"
"If you are a fan of quality musical theatre you should see this production. If you are a Sondheim aficionado, you MUST see this show or forever hang your head in shame. Kevin McMahon's singing has matured into masterful storytelling and "Being Alive" and "Finishing the Hat" are gems in his capable hands". Rob Stevens, Haines His Way.com
"Kevin McMahon (still the best Henrik in 'A Little Night Music' I've seen) brings a musical intelligence and a keen dramatic understanding to everything he does." Michael Van Duzer, Showmag
"McMahon almost brands 'Finishing The Hat' as his own personal property," Earnest Kearney, The Tvolution
"Stephanie Fredricks and Kevin McMahon are the standouts of the evening". Don Grigware, Broadwayworld.com
"Kevin McMahon does a rueful construal of 'Finishing The Hat'". Ben Miles, Beachcomber
"Kevin McMahon's emotional evolution in 'Being Alive' was heartfelt and brilliantly effective, as was his moving 'Finishing The Hat'". Ellen Dostal, Musicals in LA
"The always dynamic stage vet Kevin McMahon brings down the house with 'Being Alive' and follows it with an exquisite 'Finishing The Hat'". Steven Stanley, Stage Scene LA
"The audience sat mesmerized during McMahon's 'Being Alive' and 'Finishing The Hat'". Shirle Gotlieb, Grunion Gazette.
"Performed with panche by Heart and McMahon," Ed Rampell, Hollywood Progressive
as the Wizard in
WICKED
First National Tour - Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco
"Back onstage in San Francisco (where it had its successful pre-Broadway premiere in 2003), the smash musical is in town for a limited run and tickets are selling quickly — for very good reason. Kim Zimmer (best known as Reva from TV’s “Guiding Light”) and understudy Kevin McMahon round out the cast as Madame Morrible and the Wizard of Oz, whose PR skills wind up playing a huge part in how the witches’ stories go down". Leslie Katz, San Francisco Examiner
"Opening night of the revival, Kevin McMahon’s thinking was probably elsewhere — on how to suitably step in for the flu-ish Tom McGowan as the wizard. He needn’t have worried: He was strong." Woody Weingarten, Novato Advance
"Though she's played Elphaba more often than anyone else, Roscioli keeps the role fresh and immediate, whether navigating her uneasy growing closeness with Glinda or confronting the villainies of Kim Zimmer's outrageously formidable Madame Morrible and the vaudevillian con-man Wizard of Kevin McMahon." Robert Hurwitt, San Francisco Gate
as the Witches' Father & Ozian Official in
WICKED
First National Tour
"Kevin McMahon who plays a series of small roles as authority figures in Oz, stands out most of all for his portrayal of Elphanba's unloving father.: Greg Kerestan, Broadway World
"Shunned by her father elegantly played by Kevin McMahon" Holly Barges, Colorado Backstage
"Elphaba blames herself, although her widowed father, played with prickly authority by Kevin McMahon, had a lot more to do with it." James Herbert. San Diego Union Tribune
““Kevin McMahon who plays the Witches' Father and Ozian Official was a popular face in the forever Forever Plaid as Jinx at The Theatre in Old Town. He’s the guy you love to hate as Elphaba and Nessaroses father.”
Carol Davis, San Diego Jewish World
as Gordon in
A NEW BRAIN
Musical Theatre Guild, Los Angeles, CA
"With Kevin McMahon's bravura vocal and dramatic portrayal of the lead character, backed up by a formidable supporting cast, it was immediately clear that ultra-talented theater professionals were front and center.” Rick Talcove, B'nai B'rith Life National Edition
“Still, it’s Gordon’s relationships with the characters surrounding him that give A NEW BRAIN its heart and its soul, most centrally his relationship with Roger. McMahon and Ambrose brought the couple’s committed, supportive relationship to very real life, displaying the kind of onstage chemistry that makes an audience believe, never more so than when duetting “Just Go,” a love song that may have left a few dry eyes in the house, but they weren’t mine.
It’s been four years since McMahon starred in MTG’s OUT OF THIS WORLD, far too long between appearances, but the triple threat has been busy gallivanting across the country with the First National Tour of WICKED. The MTG treasure, whose own brain surgery five years ago made him an inspired choice to bring Gordon to life, not only invested Finn’s fictional counterpart with abundant “Heart And Music,” he did so without ever seeming to glance at the script-in-hand mandated by Actors’ Equity. Truly memorable work!” Steven Stanley – Stage Scene LA
“McMahon was riveting and very moving, also very funny.” Robert Machray, Stage Happenings
“An assemblage of bravura talent! Not only did Kevin McMahon fully fit the shoes of Gordon, he was in fine voice and barely looked at his script. McMahon took time off his current WICKED tour to play a role that mirrored his own life, as he underwent successful brain surgery himself four years ago.” Tony Frankel – Stage and Cinema
as Malcolm MacGregor in
THE FULL MONTY
Musical Theatre West, Long Beach, CA
San Diego Musical Theatre, San Diego, CA
OVATION AWARD NOMINATION - FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
WINNER - FEATURED ACTOR OF THE YEAR (MUSICAL) LAStageScene.com
"Kevin McMahon, blessed with one of the most beautiful voices heard on San Diego theater stages in recent years, is sweet and sadly pathetic as Malcolm, the shy, awkward, suicidal loner who finds friendship (and love) in the company of his fellow dancers, and he delivers the evening's best vocal, the haunting solo 'You Walk With Me.'" Pam Kragan, SAN DIEGO NORTH COUNTY TIMES
"Vocally, the standouts include Kevin McMahon whose supple and haunting tenor quietly stops the show with the gospel-like anthem 'You Walk With Me'." Anne Marie Welsh, SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE
"Silver-voiced Kevin McMahon steals the show with his poignant “You Walk With Me'." Jean Lowerison, GAY & LESBIAN TIMES
"Kevin McMahon's performance is both heartbreaking and heartwarming" Shirle Gottlieb, LONG BEACH TELEGRAM
"Kevin McMahon also reprises his performance here as the still-living-at-home mama's boy Malcolm MacGregor, and shines in his plaintive "You Walk With Me." Frankie Moran, SANDIEGO.COM
"One of Yazbek’s genius numbers is “You Walk With Me,” sung by the sweet-voiced Kevin McMahon as suicidal Malcolm". Charlene Baldridge, LA JOLLA VILLAGE NEWS
"Every role in this production is performed to perfection. Kevin McMahon couldn't be a better Malcolm." Steven Stanley - LAStageScene.com
"The professional players provide a rollicking good night of entertainment in this musical adaptation of the original British film. Kevin McMahon as Malcolm MacGregor really stood out vocally." Kayte Deioma, ABOUT LA
"The cast is chock full of talent from the featured actors to the ensemble. Just a few of the other standouts include Kevin McMahon as a mousy fellow who is at the center of the darkly humorous failed suicide scene." Rob Hopper, San Diego Playbill
"Excelling as additional would-be studs putting their proverbial—and literal—butts on the line are David Engel as unemployed shop foreman Harold and Kevin McMahon as neurotic mama's boy Malcolm." Les Spindle, BACKSTAGE WEST
"The show's improbable charms are winningly revisited in a big-scale staging by Musical Theatre West that puts David Yazbek's funny yet touching songs and Terrence McNally's laugh-out-loud dialogue into the mouths of some of the region's most accomplished musical theater performers."
Daryl H. Miller, LOS ANGELES TIMES
"Expertly sung, danced and given comedic-dramatic acting – not only by the actors playing the desperate out-of-work sextet, but also by a talented, versatile supporting cast." Eric Marchese, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
as Tenor #1 in
I LEFT MY HEART - A SALUTE TO THE MUSIC OF TONY BENNETT
Welk Resort Theatre, Escondido, CA
"Thoroughly entertaining! Director Nick DeGruccio has assembled a three-member cast that's easily the best vocal ensembles ever heard at the Welk. Tenor Kevin McMahon, seen at the Welk twice in the men's harmony show "Forever Plaid," is known as an outstanding singer, and he delivers most of the show's most exciting vocal fireworks, particularly the high energy "That Old Black Magic," the jazzy "Come Rain or Come Shine" and the moving 'Who Can I Turn To?'" Pam Kragen, North County Times
"Sporting the most versatile voice (in the trio) Kevin McMahon gave a telling Anthony Newley delivery to his WHO CAN I TURN TO (from The Roar of the Greasepaint), and gave the most poignant performance of the evening, with the Bill Evans song YOU MUST BELIEVE IN SPRING…touching and melancholy."
Rob Appel, SAN DIEGO THEATRE SCENE
"Let it be said that three more glorious voices have scarcely been heard on the Welk stage before. McMahon's airy tenor delivers a beautiful styling of Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer's classic "Come Rain or Come Shine." Frankie Moran, SANDIEGO.COM
"I Left My Heart, is being performed by three of the best-looking, best-sounding young talent around." Carol Davis, SAN DIEGO JEWISH WORLD
"The trio of outstanding male tenors, accompanied by a tasty live band of four accomplished musicians, blends the history of Bennett’s rise to fame over the past four decades with excellent renditions of his most popular songs."
Joanne DiBona, SAN DIEGO CON-VIS
as Cocky in
THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT, THE SMELL OF THE CROWD - Musical Theatre Guild, Los Angeles
Starlight Musical Theatre, San Diego
2005 Robby Award Nomination - Best Actor in a Musical
"Consummate talent takes the prize in Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse's "The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd," which Musical Theatre Guild presented on Monday at the Alex Theatre. Adroitly directed by Todd Nielsen, with stellar lead performances by Kevin McMahon and Roy Leake Jr..... McMahon's marvelous Cocky, wisely avoiding a Newley imitation while using his free upper register and neon-sign eyes to heart-stopping, house-shaking effect." David C. Nichols - LOS ANGELES TIMES
“Kevin McMahon, as Cocky, is a performer at the height of his talent. His sweet baritone breathes vibrant life into his songs. He superbly etches a character of classic pathos, along the lines of Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp, complete with bowler hat. His joys, his disappointments, his hopes, his unlimited optimism are clearly etched on his features.” Rob Stevens - SHOWMAG.COM
“Musically, very strong. When McMahon’s Cocky first coaxed the pathos from 'Who Can I Turn' To at the close of the first act, just after finding the self-flagellating emotions in the dissonances of 'The Joker', you could understand why any musical theatre pro would want to sing this music.” Anne Marie Welsh - SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE
“Kevin McMahon gives a standout performance as Cocky as he fights to win the game that seems fixed against him, growing frustrated at times, being emotionally destroyed at other times, and at still other times clinging to Sir as if the man was his heroic savior protecting him from harm. And the guy can sing, belting out tremendous renditions of songs like 'The Joker' and the Act One finale 'Who Can I Turn To.'” Rob Hopper – SAN DIEGO PLAYBILL
As Jinx in
FOREVER PLAID (various productions)
2005 Robby Award winner - Best Ensemble Performance (Welk Resort Production)
2005 Inland Theatre Award - Best Actor in a Musical (Candelight Production)
"The comedy is balanced by sterling performances of songs that haven't been done to death.... such as 'Cry," sung by McMahon with a swing-for-the-fences tenor. 'A' Rating." Mike Weatherford - LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL
"The best four-part singing I have heard in years - maybe ever! As individual singers, each one could headline on any Vegas stage". Larry Santos - STRIP LAS VEGAS
"A stunning redition of 'Cry' ... there's not a more endearing 90-minutes of entertainment in Las Vegas." Michael Paskevich - NEVADA TODAY
"A master at subtle phyical comedy, McMahon won the audience, over not just with his beautiful voice, but with his propensity to get stressed induced nose bleeds." - TODAY IN LAS VEGAS
"McMahon (who plays the ever nervous Jinx) has the best voice in the cast, raising goosebumps with his explosive performance of 'Cry'. It's the best acted and best sung PLAID I have ever seen (and I've seen seven of them)." Pam Kragen - SAN DIEGO NORTH COUNTY TIMES
"Kevin McMahon's Jinx is a scared, befuddled young man whose stage fright causes him nosebleeds. But McMahon brings Jinx busting out of his shell when he delivers a soaring 'Cry' ." Paul Sterman - ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
"His high tenor is a vocal glory." Anne Marie Welsh - SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE
"Kevin McMahon returns as Jinx, he of the bleeding nose and eyes forever staring like a deer into a pair of headlights. But let him alone with Johnnie Ray's classic 'Cry' and his vocal chords, not to mention his inhibitions, explode on the stage." H.S. Wilson - INLAND VALLEY BULLETIN
"McMahon's musical breakthrough is reached during his performance of 'Cry;' he sheds his timid exterior and reaches vocal ranges presumably only feasible in heaven." Jessica Bell - CAMPUS TIMES
"Kevin McMahon is the loveably terified Jinx, who braves numerous nosebleds to perform through his fear, eventually leaving his inhibitions behind long enough for a show stopping solo of 'Cry'." Rod Hopper - SAN DIEGO PLAYBILL
As Oscar in
SWEET CHARITY - Moonlight Amphitheatre, Vista, CA
2003 Robby Award Nomination - Best Supporting Actor in a Musical
“Kevin McMahon makes a perfectly nerdy, shy, obsessive-compulsive Oscar, who loves Charity but can't overcome his need for purity in all things.” Rob Stevens, SHOWMAG.COM
“Kevin McMahon has a beautiful singing voice and the right nervous disposition as Oscar, and together they share the production's best scene ---- their chance stranding in a recalcitrant elevator and the cute duet ‘I'm the Bravest Individual.’” Pam Kragen, NORTH COUNTY TIMES
“Kevin McMahon gives appealing neurotic dimension to Oscar, the nebbishy nice-guy Charity nearly snags. And the scene where the two of them get stuck in the elevator is well done technically and dramatically.” Pat Launer, KPBS SAN DIEGO
As Gerald in
ME AND MY GIRL - Musical Theatre West, Long Beach, CA
"Stellar contributions by Tracy Lore's wry vamp and Kevin McMahon's droll twit." David C. Nichols - LOS ANGELES TIMES
"Lore is particularly effective in her scenes with her dandy of a fiance, Kevin McMahon". Alessanadra Djurklou - LONG BEACH PRESS TELEGRAM
As Man in
Stephen Sondheim's MARRY ME A LITTLE - Encore Theatre/ACT - San Francisco & Coronet Theatre - Los Angeles
"McMahon is charming and handles with enthusiasm the ins and outs of Sondheim's melodies." T.H. McCulloh - LOS ANGELES TIMES
"Charmingly performed by Kevin McMahon... Irresistible... Brightly and sensitively played." Gerald Nachman - SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
"McMahon engagingly conveys both the hurt and hope of Sondheim's music... outstanding!" Bryge - HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
"An unprepossesing performer...a classic tenor...a terribly appealing performer." Harvey- DAILY CALIFORNIAN
As Brad in
AN UNFINISHED SONG - Charles Playhouse - Boston, MA
"Simply beautiful is 'Is That Love', movingly sung by McMahon." Jeanne Copper - BOSTON GLOBE
"McMahon makes an auspicious Boston debut as Brad... powerfull and affecting" Virginia Lucier - MIDDLESEX NEWS
As Breton in
A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - Musical Theatre Guild
"... and Kevin McMahon ably provides the shows darker shadings as the sort of young man one meets in low bars, generally just before closing." Wenzel Jones - BACKSTAGE WEST
"With the spirit of Wilde (Hart), seamy barfly Breton (Kevin McMahon) and church outrage over "a dirty play," everything comes to a touching, surprisingly relevant climax." David C. Nichols - LOS ANGELES TIMES