In Review: Mayes brings his “strong and bright” voice to UrbanArias
“As Pablo Picasso, baritone Michael Mayes, clad in lemon and pale yellow, a gold cap sitting rakishly atop his head, is jaunty and irreverent—till he spots Stein. “I grew to hate you. Didn’t you know?” he asks her, adding: “You wanted to own me.” His voice strong and bright, Mayes is equally at ease with navigating the daunting vocal and tonal terrain….“Art is for life!” proclaims the painter is a clarion call, the top notes ringing and crystal-shattering.” -DC Metro Theater Arts
“Michael Mayes is rugged as a bombastic Pablo all full of himself, strutting like he’s God gift and knows it with a rich baritone smooth as silk. The two characters trade verbal jabs almost immediately as they delve into their lasting legacy, especially as they consider the rising tide of German occupation and the creeping onset of the Holocaust….In their ultimate throw down scene, their voices reach decibels that could almost break glass” – DC Theatre Scene