Leah in The Immigrant, Wisdom Bridge Theatre, Chicago
When I was 18 I got my Equity card at Chicago's Wisdom Bridge Theatre, the year after Robert Falls left as artistic director. It was the second production of Mark Harelik's play after it had premiered at the Denver Center and I played Leah, a character who ages from 18 to 40 over the course of the play.
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"Best of all, though, is Leyla Modir as Leah. The young actress making her Chicago debut is like an Ellis Island photograph come to life. She lights up the stage with a truth and vibrance that instantly encapsulate the American Dream." Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun Times "The Immigrant" at Wisdom Bridge Theatre |
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"Leyla Modir, looking a bit like Carol Kane in Hester Street, is instantly endearing, her Leah both bashful and forthright, resourceful and idealistic." Windy City Times "The Immigrant"
"Leyla Modir's Leah is pixie-like with her huge eyes and with her slightly embarrassed/utterly trusting manner it's Carol Kane she recalls." The Reader "The Immigrant" "Leyla Modir is a winner as the immigrant wife." Chicago Tribune
"The Immigrant" |
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Angela in Roosters, The Group Theatre, Seattle
"Hector's sister Angela practically steals the show...played by a very talented, completely believable and supremely comical Leyla Modirzadeh." Russ Abel, Queen Anne Times, Seattle "Roosters" at the Group Theatre
"Leyla Modirzadeh skillfully adds humor as the 15 year old daughter." The Stranger, Seattle "Roosters"
"Actress Leyla Modirzadeh captures Angela's calloused piety perfectly." Seattle Times "Roosters"
"Leyla Modirzadeh plays Angela with a knowing innocence as an entirely appealing eccentric." Tacoma News Tribune "Roosters" "Angela, played here very skillfully by Leyla Modirzadeh." Seattle Weekly "Roosters"
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Backstage La Bete, Group Theatre, Seattle
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Dorine in La Bete, directed by Tim Bond, The Group Theatre, Seattle
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"As the monosyllabic maid Dorine, Leyla Modirzadeh is a kind of performance artist in her own right." Misha Berson, Seattle Times "La Bete"
"Dorine is wildly entertaining as rendered with wind-up doll precision by Leyla Modirzadeh" Roger Downey, The Reader, Seattle "La Bete"
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Undesirable Elements, directed by Ping Chong, The Group Theatre, Seattle
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"Still, the production had its shining moments. A Persian song by Leyla Modirzadeh arrested our attention. Though the audience couldn't discern the words, we understood the feeling. Modirzadeh has spent her life shuffling to and from places like Durham, N.C., Montpellier, France, Tehran, Iran, and San Jose, California - in that order. She is a product of Russian, Irish, and Iranian blood. As she sang, her face took on a faraway look. It was as if her body had dispossessed itself and was roaming the earth in search of a home. Her voice transmitted a yearning a sweetness that is hard to put into words. If 'Undesirable Elements' only had more moments like this, when culture was manifest in its truest and purest form, the production would have fulfilled its promise." Seattle Examiner, "Undesirable Elements"
A few more..
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"I would have liked to have seen more of Modirzadeh as Merelli's pepper hot wife...with her flamboyant gestures and threatening pronouncements delivered in a perfect Italian accent." Laughing Horse Times, WA Lend Me a Tenor
Mrs. Allonby in Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance, Glen Hughes Theatre, Seattle
Film stills from the independent film Long Journey Home
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"Leyla Modirzadeh's Maria lights up the stage with an Italian passion." Ellensburg Post, WA Lend Me a Tenor
Maria in Lend Me a Tenor, Laughing Horse Summer Theatre
Olga in Maxim Gorky's Summerfolk at the Penthouse Theatre, Seattle
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