Reviews
Photo by Jeremy Daniel
SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER
SecondStage Uptown
"Ms. Yi’s voluble, high-voltage performance is the play’s chief delight." - Alexis Soloski, New York Times
"Yi has timed all of her comic beats to perfection. She is the rare performer who can be serious and funny at the same time" - Zachary Stewart - TheaterMania
SecondStage Uptown
"Ms. Yi’s voluble, high-voltage performance is the play’s chief delight." - Alexis Soloski, New York Times
"Yi has timed all of her comic beats to perfection. She is the rare performer who can be serious and funny at the same time" - Zachary Stewart - TheaterMania
Jeena Yi as Tong
Photo by Jenny Graham
Vietgone at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival
"Ms. Yi delivers a gorgeous performance. She has crafted, in Tong, a deeply moving character. There are no broad strokes here; precision abounds as we observe the development of a young woman who is as vulnerable and filled with longing as she pretends not to be. Yi presents a character whose hunger for a place in the world gives the audience special permissions; not only to question assumptions about gender roles in Asian culture, but also to touch on the universal complexities of the female heart. Yi, now in her first season at OSF, is an artist to watch. Her sensitivity to her craft is beautiful to behold." - Jeffrey Gillespie, Ashland Daily Tidings
"Yi is outstanding as Tong and brings a confidence and swagger to the part, as she creates a thoroughly memorable character."
-Bill Choy, Siskiyou Daily News
"Ms. Yi delivers a gorgeous performance. She has crafted, in Tong, a deeply moving character. There are no broad strokes here; precision abounds as we observe the development of a young woman who is as vulnerable and filled with longing as she pretends not to be. Yi presents a character whose hunger for a place in the world gives the audience special permissions; not only to question assumptions about gender roles in Asian culture, but also to touch on the universal complexities of the female heart. Yi, now in her first season at OSF, is an artist to watch. Her sensitivity to her craft is beautiful to behold." - Jeffrey Gillespie, Ashland Daily Tidings
"Yi is outstanding as Tong and brings a confidence and swagger to the part, as she creates a thoroughly memorable character."
-Bill Choy, Siskiyou Daily News
Lights Rise on Grace at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co.
"Yi’s transformation of the character is mesmerizing and her performance is one that holds you from beginning to end." - Elliot Lanes, Maryland Theatre Guide
"Yi is masterful in the transformation that takes place from the almost cripplingly-shy, young girl to the determined, more confident young women. She has proven she can hold her own without Large." - Chuck Conconi, Washington Life Magazine
"I cannot say enough about Yi. Although she looks to weigh not much more than a hundred pounds, when she takes on the role of Large’s despicable brother she is terrifying...Yi’s primary work is with her primary character, the work is specific, deep, subtle and absolutely true." -Tim Treanor, DC Theatre Scene
"Yi and Minefee gingerly poke through the cultural differences between the characters, establishing a sweetness that gives their cruel twists of fate the tang of tragedy...the inward Grace’s impulsive self-destructiveness (which Yi plays with ferocity)" - Nelson Pressley, Washington Post
"Garcés brings out some extremely exceptional performances from talented cast. Yi, for example, allows us to see Grace's transformation in a very clear way...All three actors give emotionally charged, explosive performances when necessary. Yet, tender emotions capture the friendship and love between their characters amidst all of the chaotic uncertainty." - Jennifer Perry, BroadwayWorld.com
"...the best kind of actors: they’re naturals, inhabiting their characters fully, while also playing the parts of Chinese parents and relatives, Large’s street and school peers, inmates and prison folk." - Gary Tischler, The Georgetowner
"Yi is masterful in the transformation that takes place from the almost cripplingly-shy, young girl to the determined, more confident young women. She has proven she can hold her own without Large." - Chuck Conconi, Washington Life Magazine
"I cannot say enough about Yi. Although she looks to weigh not much more than a hundred pounds, when she takes on the role of Large’s despicable brother she is terrifying...Yi’s primary work is with her primary character, the work is specific, deep, subtle and absolutely true." -Tim Treanor, DC Theatre Scene
"Yi and Minefee gingerly poke through the cultural differences between the characters, establishing a sweetness that gives their cruel twists of fate the tang of tragedy...the inward Grace’s impulsive self-destructiveness (which Yi plays with ferocity)" - Nelson Pressley, Washington Post
"Garcés brings out some extremely exceptional performances from talented cast. Yi, for example, allows us to see Grace's transformation in a very clear way...All three actors give emotionally charged, explosive performances when necessary. Yet, tender emotions capture the friendship and love between their characters amidst all of the chaotic uncertainty." - Jennifer Perry, BroadwayWorld.com
"...the best kind of actors: they’re naturals, inhabiting their characters fully, while also playing the parts of Chinese parents and relatives, Large’s street and school peers, inmates and prison folk." - Gary Tischler, The Georgetowner
4000 Miles at The Hangar Theatre
"Jeena Yi shifts the comedy into high gear as Amanda, a mini-skirted Chinese-American art student Leo picks up and brings home. A tipsy chatterer, Amanda could be a character out of a Neil Simon comedy, but Yi finds a sweet humanity in this over-privileged young woman." (Len Fonte, Syracuse Pot Standard)
"Herzog’s more striking creation is the hot-to-trot floozy Amanda (Jeena Yi), the scene-stealer who is the comic highlight of the 95-minute show. " (James MacKillop, Syracuse New Times)
"Jeena Yi is a hilarious Amanda, a party girl who traipses into the apartment with Leo in his attempted one-night stand. She too is a woman who knows her mind…This is a beautiful production of a beautiful, softly spoken play. The Hangar has a treasure in its hands." (Ross Haarstad, Ithaca Times)
"Jeena Yi shifts the comedy into high gear as Amanda, a mini-skirted Chinese-American art student Leo picks up and brings home. A tipsy chatterer, Amanda could be a character out of a Neil Simon comedy, but Yi finds a sweet humanity in this over-privileged young woman." (Len Fonte, Syracuse Pot Standard)
"Herzog’s more striking creation is the hot-to-trot floozy Amanda (Jeena Yi), the scene-stealer who is the comic highlight of the 95-minute show. " (James MacKillop, Syracuse New Times)
"Jeena Yi is a hilarious Amanda, a party girl who traipses into the apartment with Leo in his attempted one-night stand. She too is a woman who knows her mind…This is a beautiful production of a beautiful, softly spoken play. The Hangar has a treasure in its hands." (Ross Haarstad, Ithaca Times)