Verdi: Falstaff Falstaff Chamber Opera Chicago 1992
"Kraus' Falstaff was a wonderfully self-deluded, portly old lecher. Collapsing
into a hunch over his wine, snarling at his hangers-on, he was the very
image of the cynical misanthrope. But his unshakable belief in his ability to
seduce anything in skirts periodically transformed him into the eternal high
school sophomore. He spat out his honor aria with genuine world-weariness
in the first act but was comically wide awake and ready to woo in his
Act II aria Get on, Old John...There was no milking for laughs as Kraus
lumbered about or lunged after an elusive lady. His baritone was robust
and flexible, colored by appropriate rasps and gasps when the game of love
became difficult. Kraus' Falstaff believed in the rightness of every foolish
thing he did, and, as a result, we believed in the Falstaff he presented."
Wynne Delacoma Chicago Sun Times
G&S: H.M.S. Pinafore Sir Joseph Porter Cleveland Opera 1999
"Few characters in the Gilbert and Sullivan canon are as ludicrous or
lovable as Sir Joseph Porter. He is the consummate puffed pastry, a
mountain of pretension and incompetence who somehow has risen to
the top. We all know someone who has done likewise. Cleveland Opera's
production of Gilbert and Sullivan's 'H.M.S. Pinafore', which opened last
night at the State Theater, can boast many charms. But the chief delight
is Philip Kraus, who embodies Sir Joseph Porter with whimsical
insouciance. Kraus not only sings the part in bursts of sonorous glee;
he brightens the proceedings whenever he ambles onto the quarter-deck
of the Pinafore and almost single-handedly seems to make the stage tip to
one side. With a bounty of style, a quicksilver tongue and a knack for
bringing nimble pomposity to every gesture, Kraus emerges as a cross
between Charles Laughton and Robert Morely. He is daffy, disarming,
obviously in love with Gilbert's text and a jolly Falstaffian figure who can't
possibly gauge how foolish he actually is….This 'Pinafore' is thoroughly
engaging and, in the case of Kraus, indubitably splendid."
Donald Rosenberg Cleveland Plain Dealer
Rossini: Barber of Seville Bartolo Chicago Opera Theater 1999
"The singers all know what they are doing, musically as well as
dramatically. The best of them is Philip Kraus, a baritonal Bartolo
who sings every phrase beautifully, with close attention to the words.
He makes the pompous doctor a powerful adversary; funny but not in a
campy way."
John Van Rhein Chicago Tribune
Britten: Billy Budd Ratcliffe Lyric Opera Chicago 2001
"Richard Stilwell as Mr. Redburn, Stephen West as Mr. Flint, Philip Kraus
as Lieutenant Ratcliffe, Kevin Langan as Dansker, and Neil Jenkins as
Red Whiskers all gave vibrant and vocally assured performances."
Anthony Tommasini New York Times
Rossini: L'Italiana in Algeri Taddeo Hawaii Opera Theater 1997
"Philip Kraus as Taddeo, the Italian lady's traveling companion and
not-so-distant admirer, does the best stage work, and also has a bass
voice that insinuates itself into our ears."
Gregory Shepherd Honolulu Advertiser
Rossini: L'Italiana in Algeri Taddeo Chicago Opera Theater 1996
"The evening's best performance was Kraus' Taddeo, the irritable, older
suitor who loses Isabella to Lindoro. Tall, with a reliable baritone,
Kraus made himself the comic center of important scenes, and the
opera's pulse quickened when he was in the spotlight.....Isabella came
to exasperated life in her arguments with Philip Kraus' cranky but
lovable Taddeo."
Wynne Delacoma Chicago Sun Times
Puccini: Gianni Schicchi Chicago Opera Theater 2000
"Anchoring an uneven vocal ensemble is Philip Kraus, in top form as
Schicchi, the clever rogue who outwits the greedy relatives of the late
Buoso Donati as they conspire to alter his will in their favor.…Kraus
was as good here as he was in COT's season-opening 'Barber of Seville'.
Nobody else in the cast could match him vocally or comedically."
John Van Rhein Chicago Tribune
Janacek: Jenufa Mayor Lyric Opera Chicago 2000
"Supporting cast Melina Pyron, Dina Kuznetsova, Philip Kraus, Dorothy
Byrne, and Maria Kanyova are strong."
Bernard Holland New York Times
Puccini: Tosca Scarpia Battle Creek Symphony 1993
"Philip Kraus was completely evil as the villainous Baron Scarpia. His
dramatic portrayal was certainly the strongest of the evening. His
powerful baritone voice rode formidably on the crest of sound..."
Narciso Solero Battle Creek Enquirer
Cimarosa: Il Maestro di Capella Concertante di Chicago 1990
"Then came Cimarosa's Il maestro di capella with Philip Kraus in a white
wig and watered silk as the beleaguered maestro and the orchestra ready
and eager to make his life miserable. Oh, those naughty basses! Oh,
those wicked woodwinds! Those horrid horns! This finely calculated
dramatic interlude, sung with exemplary diction in an excellent new
English translation, was a tour de force for all concerned. Kraus created
a comic character frustrated by an orchestra that would not play the way
he wished, yet eagerly grasping for any wisp of praise. It was musical
humor on a high plain."
Robert C. Marsh Chicago Sun Times
Weill: Lady in the Dark Paxton Light Opera Works 1989
"The inadvertent center of the show actually was Philip Kraus, who is an
absolute panic as the mincing staff photographer, Russell Paxton, and
as the clown/judge in the circus sequence. His rendition of the tongue
twisting 'Tchaikovsky' was masterful"
Michael Bonesteel Pioneer Press
Britten: Albert Herring Vicar Chicago Opera Theater 1989
"Philip Kraus as the unctuous Vicar Gedge gave a precise, sharply observed
performance...Kraus' diction proved the best of any of the principals."
John Van Rhein Chicago Tribune
G&S: Utopia Limited Paramount Light Opera Works 1984
"Philip Kraus is a presence as an actor who grabs hold of a character with
masterful timing in delivery. His namby-pamby King Paramount was no
exception. Best male vocal accolades belong to Kraus...paragon of patter
songs with syllable-perfect articulation."
Stephanie Ettleson Lerner Papers
Mozart: The Magic Flute Papageno Opera Midwest 1980
"Philip Kraus, with his fine baritone and fluttery flair for physical comedy,
was an exceptional Papageno, funny but not outlandishly silly, with a
rather endearing, childlike quality. He also delivered the dialogue better
than anyone else."
John Van Rhein Chicago Tribune
G&S: The Mikado Pooh-Bah Light Opera Works 1986
"Light Opera Works has moved Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado lock,
stock and Lord High Executioner back a few centuries to Elizabethan
England...Kraus, as Cardinal Wolsey, turned Pooh-Bah into a brilliant
mix of pompous prelate and venal courtier. Voices were generally
strong, especially Kraus..."
Wynne Delacoma Chicago Sun Times
Verdi: Rigoletto Rigoletto Chamber Opera Chicago 1987
"Philip Kraus was a committed, pathetic jester, spinning long lyrical lines
and spitting out declamatory ravings with equal musicality."
John Van Rhein Opera News
G&S: H.M.S. Pinafore Deadeye Cleveland Orchestra 1993
"The menacing Dick Deadeye was sung by Philip Kraus, who had just
the right snarl in his voice..."
Donald Rosenberg Cleveland Plain Dealer
Floyd: Susannah Elder MacLean Lyric Opera Chicago 1993
"Saturday's performance, directed by Robert Falls, was populated
by vivid, multidimensional characters. They ranged from the smug
and embittered Elder and Mrs. McLean strongly sung by Philip Kraus
and Jean Kraft to the rock-solid decency of Fleming's radiant Susannah."
Wynne Delacoma Chicago Sun-Times
G&S: Pirate of Penzance Major General Michigan Opera 2004
"But if Saturday night's roaring audience could have caught its breath
long enough to vote, it might have given the laurel to Philip Kraus, the
"modern" (meaning clueless) Major General Stanley. I'm convinced that
only the few, the proud, the determined can master the tongue-twisting
lyrics, the insanely tormented rhymes of Stanley's show stopping patter
song,"The Very Model of a Modern Major General." But Kraus did all
that, in perfect deadpan, and more. He added a wonderfully clever,
equally tortured verse-tribute to Motown that threatened to bring the
audience right out of its seats and onto the stage. The place was out of
control."
Lawrence B. Johnson The Detroit News
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