Mentions from PLANTATION!
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"And then there's almost every moment involving Diana (played with just the right level of perturbed patience by Hannah Gomez), who, filling in as a housekeeper while her mother visits family in Guatemala, must endure indignities from residents and visitors alike."
- Steven Oxman, The Chicago Sun-Times "The all-female cast succeeds in landing each and every joke in this production, which brings the broadly comic nature of Douglas's writing to the forefront. ...As the housekeeper Diana Soto, Hannah Gomez brilliantly plays off the energy of the other characters in the space and has impeccable comedic timing." - Rachel Weinberg, Broadway World Chicago "Throughout the kerfuffle, the family is assisted by the housekeeper Diana (Hannah Gomez) who plays the painfully familiar role of the “help,” walking the fine line between professional obsequiousness and self-respect. Diana feels underwritten compared to the others, but Gomez gives a stellar performance, punctuated by hilarious one-liners." - Sheri Flanders, PerformInk "Diana is Miss Lillian’s maid for this weekend, filling in for her vacationing mother. Played with comedic skill by Hannah Gomez, this may be the character that audiences remember most. The outstanding Ms. Gomez brings a delicious, deadpan delivery to Diana, a minor character who might’ve faded away into the background, in lesser hands. But Ms. Gomez is a master and she knows how to use dry humor to her advantage, making this put-upon young woman one of the funniest individuals in this production." - Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review "The performances are all well up to the Lookingglass standard. ...Hannah Gomez makes the most of her role as the Wright family maid who conveniently happens to be a notary public available to validate Lillian’s bequest to the black women. " - Dan Zeff, Chicagoland Theater Reviews |
"Diano Soto (Hannah Gomez) is Lillian’s maid, and Gomez plays the dead-pan sarcastic humor with ease. As a person of color working for Lillian’s family on the plantation, Douglas places a good deal of the play’s commentary on racism within Soto’s jokes, which certainly presents a challenge for the actor. However, Gomez walks the sensitive line perfectly, and the comedic timing appropriately encourages laughter in the audience, while also shedding light on the questionable elements of Lillian’s choices in her attempt at “apology,” which invites a slight cringing to follow."
- Lauren Katz, Picture this Post "I must add that there is one more lady in this play. Her name is Diana ( a wonderful performance and character study by Hannah Gomez) who is the daughter of the family housekeeper, filling in for her mother for this special week-end visit. It is Diana that makes the comic touches truly memorable. This is one of those moments I mentioned earlier, she is definitely *****!" - Alan Bresloff, Around the Town Chicago "The women are wonderfully cast: standouts include Ratcliff, Brooks and Hannah Gomez as Diana, the cleaning woman’s daughter with an agenda of her own." - Lauren Whalen, Chicago Theater Beat "...and the perfect comedic timing of the maid Diana, played by Hannah Gomez..." - Rick and Brenda McCain, ChicagoNow "Meanwhile, the women are all tended to by Diana (a great Hannah Gomez), the daughter of Lillian’s Guatemalan maid. Diana’s incredulousness to the insanity happening around her is a welcome tonic. She’s the most realistic character by far..." - Alex Huntsberger, TimeOut Chicago |
Mentions from A CHRISTMAS CAROL
"It's the women who save Ebenezer in this year's 'Christmas Carol' ...In director Henry Wishcamper's production of "A Christmas Carol" at the Goodman's Albert Theatre, that message of compassion comes with a decidedly feminine flair and fire. Oh, Scrooge is still male and miserly. But it's the women — past and present — who seem to provide the strongest catalysts for hope and change in Scrooge's world this time around. ...All the fellow passengers in Wishcamper's lively and thoughtful staging have a hand in stripping away that fear. But to be truly reborn, this year's Scrooge seems to lean more heavily on the women to show him the truth and set him free."
- Kerry Reid, Chicago Tribune
- Kerry Reid, Chicago Tribune
Mentions from MR.BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY
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"The acting, which is mostly admirable, involves the ensemble of... Hannah Gomez... There is crucial buy-in to the wild, fictional world. There's discipline and creativity. And there is a fine understanding of the truth that the worse things get, the more we need our stories. Et tu, Bart. 3.5/4 Stars"
- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune "4/5 Stars. It’s possible this sounds academic or pretentious, but it’s decidedly neither... and deftly played out by a crack ensemble of young Chicago actors under Jeremy Wechsler’s direction, Mr. Burns is a trippy but persuasive paean to story’s power in our perseverance. With Hannah Gomez..." - Kris Vire, TimeOut Chicago "Theatre people will enjoy seeing Hannah Gomez as a stage manager who open-carries... The third act also gives the actors a better chance to show off their singing... Really, all the actors are wonderful. They move from realism in the first act that is humorous for their incoherent dialogue, to including more stylized performances in the second act, and finally becoming something superhuman in the third." - Jacob Davis, Chicago Critic "Trying to describe the narrative of Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play is foolhardy. The story line is complex, but the production is immensely creative and well-acted by the cast of eight (...Hannah Gomez...)." - Nancy Bishop, Gapers Block "Under the masterful direction of Jeremy Wechsler, this talented cast goes from frightened victims to ragamuffin survivors to bodacious performers. Their personality conversions coupled with the design team’s production transformations creates a full blown spectacle. MR.BURNS is definitely one-of-a-kind!" - Katy Walsh, The Fourth Walsh |
"The cast is uniformly strong... The balance found between all of the actors in this ensemble piece is spot on, thanks to both Wechsler and the cast themselves, and it is a joy to watch."
- Elee Schrock, Broadway World "The cast is stellar, managing to rev up from realistic drama to full-blown opera over the course of the play’s three acts....The play itself is unlike anything else in town, and Wechsler’s production is as good as this town has to offer." - Alex Huntsberger, Newcity Stage "A very talented and versatile eight-member cast is led by director Jeremy Wechsler in this manic, primal staging on Theater Wit’s main stage.... The entire cast is excellent... and Hannah Gomez makes a no-nonsense director/cast member as Colleen, finally becoming Lisa Simpson in Act III." - Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review "4 Stars out of 4... The cast is equally great. Hannah Gomez plays Colleen, the ever set-upon stage manager. She also fills in pretty well for Lisa... Kudos to director, Jeremy Wechsler, for assembling a fantastic cast and giving it the tools to truly thrive... This is likely to be one of the best productions to hit Chicago this year." - Drew Wanket, Chicago Stage Standard "Each actor has a stand-out moment, and they are equally strong as a group. In Act One, we’re introduced to survivors Matt, Colleen (Hannah Gomez), Maria, Sam, Gibson, and Jenny... Well. Spoilers, sweetie. Suffice it to say that the entire cast will stun you when you return from the second intermission." - Jackie Davies, Theatre by Numbers |
Mentions from PINKOLANDIA
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"Meantime, little sister Gaby (Hannah Gomez) creates her own fantasy world in "Closetland," which she soon shares with a polar bear warning of thinning ice caps. Both Cervantes and Gomez are adults, but under Filmer's direction they make believable kids, particularly Gomez, whose attempts to keep up with her older and seemingly more sophisticated sister feel truthful because of their unguarded impulsiveness.
Two heartbreaking scenes — one in which Beny forces Gaby to renounce her own fantasyland... — poignantly emphasize what happens when we're ripped away from what we love by those who love to destroy." - Kerry Reid, Chicago Tribune "We are in Wisconsin and 12 year old Beny and her much younger sister, Gaby (Hannah Gomez, who handles the pure comic touches in this play) play in their “closet”... It is the cast and their sheer energy that truly gets the audience INTO the feeling of what Thome is presenting...in addition to the wonderful work of Gomez and Cervantes that brings these characters to life, making us care about them and their journey..." - Alan Bresloff, Around The Town Chicago "The story belongs to the two young daughters of these displaced Chileans. The scenes between the sisters are especially strong. The adult actresses who play the girls, Beny, 12, and Gaby, 9, are highly energized and provide lots of fun. They bring to life a wonderful blend of childlike silliness and anger... Hannah Gomez is the somewhat naïve, wide-eyed little sister who was born in the United States. Gomez is adept at providing comic relief, defusing some of the tension in the girls' lives." - Doug Deuchler, Wednesday Journal of Oak Park |
"At the heart of the story are twelve year old Beny and her eight year old sister Gaby (Hannah Gomez)... Cervantes and Gomez have a strong stage presence, and Gomez’s childlike character Gaby is a delight to watch.
She pulls it off." -- Mark Eleveld, Newcity Stage "16th Street Theater’s Pinkolandia, by Andrea Thome, is told from the perspective of the Rodriguez children (both played by adult actors) as they struggle to understand their family’s past... Just as Beny and her younger sister Gaby (Hannah Gomez) use their imaginations to conjure a narrative for the family, their parents war over how to treat the past...The combination honestly captures the divide between the adult and childlike reckoning of a family history, and the inability of children to comprehend trauma. 16th Street Theater delivers a colorful and original immigrant story of split generations that is also split by its own identity... This is a great family play..." - Kevin Thomas, TimeOut Chicago |
Mentions from CROOKED
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"Shinner's actors deliver some of the most beautifully modulated and revealing work I've seen onstage in months. ...And Hannah Gomez is at once captivating and heartbreaking as Maribel, a plain, ingratiating girl who's smarter than the world thinks but still can't find a way to articulate her pain-- to make visible the emotional stigmata ripping into her heart and soul. Crooked provides an unflinching dissection of the terrors that
shadow so many teenage girls but are seldom depicted honestly in the theater or onscreen." - Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader "But for my money, it’s Hannah Gomez who does the impossible. She’s so completely right as a 16-year-old that I almost didn’t believe a biography that told me otherwise. She taps into a deep well of vulnerability and ignorance to become a shy, overweight girl who’s using Jesus to fill up the void left by strict parents and cruel peers. Her pain is so palpable I felt the first tears I’ve felt this season well-up. ... As a meditation on anguish in the search of identity, Crooked is empathetic... It could be recommended on the strength of the nuanced performances alone... It’s daringly dark realism and quite simply a must-see." - Clint May, Chicago Theater Beat "Neither religion nor the Southern locale is exploited for cheap laughs. ...the relationship between the young friends is terrifically played by Rae Gray (Laney) and Hannah Gomez (Maribel) and is wonderfully authentic and hope-inducing." - David Zak, Chicago Stage Style "Rae Gray and Hannah Gomez replicate the hesitant curiosity of adolescent females with poignant accuracy." - Mary Shen Barnidge, Windy City Times |
"Jeff Awards Equity Nominations Celebrate Outstanding Productions...
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – PLAY... Hannah Gomez (Maribel) - “Crooked” - Rivendell Theatre Ensemble" - Equity Jeff Committee, JeffAwards.org "...but once Maribel enters the picture, she hijacks the proceedings... This girl is weird, great company. Genuine and genuinely lost, there is more to this teenager than meets the eye — more pain, but also more depth and more complexity — and Hannah Gomez gives her the kind, winsome personality of a pet dog unsure if it is going to get hit or stroked." - Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune "Under the masterful direction of Sandy Shinner, this sublime trio completely engage the audience. We are bonded to each of these women’s pain. ...These actors sure didn’t seem like they were acting. ...Adding to the humor, Hannah Gomez (Maribel) charms as a simplistic, evangelizing teen. A southern-drawling Gomez blends amusing innocence with heart-wrenching naivety. Wow! This powerful trio continues to intrigue me long after the blackout. It really doesn’t get better than this. CROOKED is as good as it gets!" - Katy Walsh, Chicago Now "Amidst the play’s curt conversation on religion, Gomez does not give in to her character’s written flatness, delivering a touching, meek Maribel with a trapped-but-fervent intellect. When Maribel defensively whimpers “I’m not stupid,” there is an unspoken agreement between her and the audience." - Johnny Oleksinski, Newcity Stage "This show has a lot of wonderful qualities, from the witty dialogue to the poignant performances. Gomez in particular is so mercilessly heartbreaking that I became angry with her for making me sad on purpose. ...this is a thrillingly well-rendered coming of age story." - Rory Leahy, Centerstage Chicago |
Mentions from THE ORIGINAL GREASE
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"And while ... Hannah Gomez (flat-out hysterical), ...are terribly underused ...their talents shine beyond their brief featured moments."
- M. William Panek, Broadway World "... It is the supporting characters that are truly memorable. ...Hannah Gomez’s knee breaking Cha-Cha... all receive the high marks here." - Brian Kurst, Sheridan Road Magazine "The cast that has been assembled for this production is dynamite, with a capital D! ...Other major players are ...Hannah Gomez as Cha-Cha DiGregorio... If you want to witness pure magic in a warehouse theater with a talented cast that can sing, dance and act, seeing this production will be a trip for you." - Alan Bresloff, Around The Town Chicago |
"Some comedic standouts were... an aggressive Hannah Gomez (Cha-Cha)."
- Katy Walsh, Chicago Now "Sonny’s attempts to be cool constantly blow up in his face, but once he brings Cha-Cha (Hannah Gomez) to the dance, Sonny goes from hilarious to gut-busting. The two have fantastic chemistry, and Gomez’s Cha-Cha is considerably different from the film version and all the better for it... The Original Grease is what I’d like Grease to be all the time. These are characters that talk and act like real kids, with real problems that don’t always have easy answers." - Oliver Sava, Chicago Theater Beat |