underneath the lintel | responses

"Nathan Schmidt is fabulous in Underneath the Lintel. As a fussy, obsessive Dutch librarian who pursues the mystery of a 113-years-overdue library book across the globe, Schmidt gets just about everything right. He’s funny, compelling and entertaining while carrying all the tangled thematic weight of this complicated solo show." | Jerry Wasserman, VancouverPlays.com

"A warm, charming, and thought provoking story. Superb acting too. Ultimately satisfying. Well done!" | Susan M Boyce, patron website comment

"Absolutely fabulous! I have encouraged all my friends to go see it while there is still time! I sat spell bound through the whole thing!" | Kim Alexis, patron website comment

"The comedy is plentiful. Schmidt has devised a complicated clown. He makes good use of the small Pacific Theatre stage, allowing it to appear to be a small school classroom. Schmidt's Librarian is disorganized, eager to be liked, certain (like many experts are) that his passion must be yours. He is entertaining in his awkwardness and endearing in his enthusiasm. He always seems a little bit confused, a little bit overwhelmed. He's a sedentary man who has embarked on a great adventure. He's outside his comfort zone and is nervous and excited. Librarian's jovial naivete is reminiscent of Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat character." | Michael Groberman, The Huffington Post

"Schmidt doesn’t miss a beat as the eccentric fellow and he plays every last pause and inflection to great effect. The story is thought-provoking and the mystery touches on many aspects of the human condition. I won’t get into all the various themes but, suffice it to say, this show is a real charmer, sure to delight librarians and non-librarians alike." | Kimberley Davison, Vancouver Vantage

"In a spellbinding performance Schmidt takes us with him on a round the world quest to find the person responsible for the book return, directed by scraps of clues he finds along the way... the Librarian's quirky pleasure as he unravels mystery after mystery, together with his pictorial slide show and recordings keeps the mood light and very funny. Schmidt is masterful at engaging with the audience and though the play runs 85 minutes without intermission he held me rapt in his quest throughout. I loved it." | Gillian Lockitch, Review from the House

"If you’ve ever known a quirky Dutchman, pondered your existence, been in a library pre 1995, enjoyed symbolism, or if you like detective stories, gift yourself an hour and a half. Marvellous stuff!" | Katherine Evans, patron website comment

"Right at the top of Underneath the Lintel, the solo performer shows us the posters he’s made up promising an “Impressive Presentation”. The billing is accurate, but incomplete: the play is also funny, thought-provoking, and moving. ... In following the exuberant piecing together of one extraordinary set of scraps, Underneath the Lintel is a profoundly life-affirming experience." | Kathleen Oliver, The Georgia Straight

"Underneath the Lintel is rich with offbeat ideas." | Jo Ledingham

"I have had the pleasure of seeing this play twice. A brilliant piece of work, very multi-layered and thought provoking on so many levels." | Grania Svedic, patron website comment

"Paul Berger’s Underneath the Lintel works on a number of levels, but where this play ultimately succeeds or fails is in the performance of its sole character, the Librarian. In the current production on Pacific Theatre’s stage, Nathan Schmidt is indeed its biggest strength... Actor Nathan Schmidt rises to the challenges of the Librarian, walking a fine line between the meta and the physical, there are moments of pure lucidity that are contrasted by the murkiness of his obsession. A terrific story-teller, director Paul Muir rarely lets Schmidt rest, much like the character he is trying to find." | Mark Robins, Vancouver Presents

"Wow! An amazing performance given by Nathan Schmidt.  He must have been exhausted and exhilarated at the finish.  Thank you for being so captivating and energized through the entire time and bringing me to tears at the end. I walked out with the profound notion that “I was here” and that “we are here”…to be reminded of the wonder of it all was humbling.
First time to the theatre…another gem hidden away.  I felt I was in an intimate theatre in New York.
Keep the quality going…tall order.  Again, amazing!" | Rita Eustergerling, patron website comment