Press

The People Downstairs

"Mad" Mabel is one of the most unforgettable characters I've ever encountered, and Sara Oliva gives one of the finest local performances not just of this year but of the past several years. Watching Ms. Oliva in this star turn will tug at your heartstrings and also give you so much hope. You'll want to skip down the aisles after this show, much of that because of what happens to this beautifully drawn character played to perfection......Ms. Oliva's Mabel is quite a piece of work--part Lisa Loopner nerd, part Eunice from The Carol Burnett Show, and part Joy/Hulga from Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People."....All of the performances are top-tiered in THE PEOPLE DOWNSTAIRS, but it's hers that I take with me, that I hold onto. If Salieri is the Patron Saint of Mediocrities at the end of Amadeus, then Ms. Oliva's Mabel is the Patron Saint of Loners and Shut-Ins. She will break your heart more than once, but she will also give hope to all of those lonely people, those on the cusp of existence, the forgotten lot, the invisible, the downtrodden, the Eleanor Rigby's of the world. Broadwayworld.com

…Marvelously demented”…Creative Loafing

The Divine Sara- Top 10 Women to Watch. The entire cast shines, but it’s Sara Oliva who rivets the attention, in a performance that captures agoraphobic, vision-impaired Mabel in all her awkward, exuberant, and deeply affecting glory.

Sara Oliva..gives a powerful performance Talkin’ Broadway