Deborah Rayne
Reviews
The Good Daughter
"While all six cast members operate at peak performance, Deborah Rayne as Cassie remains a standout among the standouts. Whether playing a wounded little-town flirt or putting on some city-slicker airs, Rayne maintains a sure hand with a character who's scarcely so sure of who she wants to be. Her scenes with David Foubert -- delightful in the first act, devastating in the second -- are among the best duets you'll ever see in a straight play."
"Cassie is well served by Rayne's muted beauty. In total control, her marvelous brown eyes sparkle in scenes with Matt and actually go dull with Rudy. She converys the conflict within Cassie, whose willingness to defy one commitment is done in by another."
"Each of the talented actors nourishes and feeds off the others, and the result is a pleasure to behold. Rarely does a cast mesh so well, so completely."
Apple
"Ms. Rayne's Samantha sizzles with sexuality...exuding serenity and composure as she becomes unwittingly entangled in the lives of both Lyn and Andy, she is a soothing counterpoint to their frenetic disquiet. Ms. Rayne hits just the right note in the role."
"Rayne exudes a heady mixture of sweetness, sensuality and intelligence as Samantha. Samantha is, as written, too good to be true, yet she is convincingly so in Rayne's beautifully crafted performance. There is a stillness, quietude and precision in her performance which is transcendent. Her Samantha is beautiful, centered, soulful."
"A trio of breakout performances... The cast is outstanding... especially Deborah Rayne as the muse, Samantha, they have created individual portraits that burn with intensity. A close to perfect production."
Spirits of Exit Eleven
"Rayne’s work is lovely as Marie Therese. Haunted, figuratively and perhaps literally, by her late sister, Rayne crafts a character that is a marriage of the stereotypical Jersey stripper and someone who, like Butchy, transcends their environment. Rayne’s softer moments, lamenting the path not taken, avoiding the feelings unspoken, and performing a (believe it or not) profoundly moving pole dance, leave the audience breathless and begging for more."
"Marie Therese (Deborah Rayne) offers an air of Jersey Girl defiance...It is hard to believe that a pole dance could convey sadness and loss until Rayne executes the amazing choreography."
"Arch mother figure Marie, like Butchy, is street smart; together they fumble toward a connection, in a world of limited options. Rayne's tough vulnerability, and Carlsen's brusque empathy play off each other well".
A Child's Guide to Innocence
"As delicate and nuanced a drama as you'll find, it's three actresses tell a sublime intergenerational tale beautifully."
"A lovely portrait of how ordinary lives can be defined by a few pivotal moments."
"All three actors are flawless."
The BabyDance
"Rayne and Zanone inhabit their respective roles so naturally that we practically read their thoughts as they assess one another over a lunch of white bread and bologna."
"The perfect pitch of Rayne, projecting Wanda's physical and emotional pain and Zanone, plundering Rachel's boundaries of politeness that constrain her life outside the baby quest, more than make up for any spatial quibbles."
Buried Child
"It's no surprise that in the midst of all the male degeneracy, comely Deborah Rayne stands out as Shelly. Sporting a miniskirt, high-heeled boots, a peasant blouse and a rabbit fur vest, she holds her own among the menfolk, displaying just the right blend of bafflement and determination."
"Deborah Rayne, as the feisty and forthright Shelly, lays claim to the standout performance of the evening. She is an outsider with whom the audience can easily identify."