Rachel Bertone - Director & Choreographer

Building community through artistry, compassion, and a fierce commitment to collaboration.

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“A miraculous recreation…Bertone's "Oklahoma!" is a prime example of what makes her one of Boston's best musical whisperers: her faith in the material and her understanding that modern audiences do not need to be waterboarded with contemporary resonance or modern parallels to be receptive. But it isn't only Bertone's faith in the material that makes her productions great: it's her deep knowledge of what makes musicals work and what makes the characters tick. Here, she takes inspiration from de Mille's iconic dances and puts her Bertonian spin on all of it, including the astounding Dream Ballet.”

Oklahoma! (Christopher Ehlers, Boston Theater Critics’ Association)
“It’s a three-hour extravaganza…Directed and choreographed by Elliot Norton Award winner Rachel Bertone, the production boasts a stellar cast. Bertone captures that 1940’s slang and can-do optimism. I LOVED this production.”

South Pacific (Joyce Kulhawik, Boston Theater Critics’ Association)
“Rachel Bertone has done it again! She understands all there is to understand about golden age musicals, and her glimmering “South Pacific” is a testament to this. No theater artist in Boston can resuscitate, revive, and reimagine classic musicals quite like Rachel can. Don’t miss this sublimely beautiful masterpiece!”

South Pacific (Christopher Ehlers, Boston Theater Critics’ Association)
“An American in Paris may be Reagle’s best ever… [Bertone has] done it again. The RMT production of An American in Paris is sumptuous and elegant…a fully-realized theatrical spectacle of the first order that will also please fans of the movie.”

An American in Paris (Rich Fahey, On Boston Stages)
“How can it be that, after all these years, West Side Story still has the power to soar, to make me cry, to entertain me? Most of the credit goes to Shakespeare, Robbins, Bernstein, Sondheim, and Laurents. Now I'll add Bertone to the list.”

West Side Story (Nancy Grossman, Broadwayworld)
“A full-throttle production superbly directed and choreographed by Rachel Bertone.”

In the Heights (Don Aucoin, The Boston Globe)
“Along comes the hottest, the brightest, the high-intensity-xenon-light of an 18-wheeler barreling toward your windshield in an undivided highway, Cabaret…especially with wunderkind director/choreographer Rachel Bertone once again calling the shots. Every aspect of Bertone’s vision in on target.”

Cabaret (Nancy Grossman, Broadwayworld)
“It is without an ounce of hyperbole that I say that this searing revival of “Cabaret”, directed and choreographed by the extraordinary Rachel Bertone, is the best theatrical production so far this year. What’s more, it’s the best Boston-born revival of a musical in recent memory. There is hardly a scrap of this production that feels routine, which is part of the reason that it feels so fresh. When “Cabaret” is done right, the show hits you like an unexpected punch to the gut. And although I can no longer count on two hands the number of times I’ve seen the show, I can count on one hand the number of times that I have been rendered speechless by a musical. This is one of those times. If all the world’s a stage, may we all be so lucky so as to see it through Rachel Bertone’s eyes.”

Cabaret (Christopher Ehlers, DigBoston)
“Friends, let me proclaim, without hyperbole, that the Lyric Stage Company has hit the trifecta with their season opening iconic musical “Gypsy”, a virtual must-see production, thanks to Rachel Bertone's direction and choreography. Bertone adds another feather to the burgeoning plumage of her colorful cap. This is one that will be remembered well into the future.”

Gypsy (Nancy Grossman, Broadwayworld)
“Bertone is a natural choice for helming this difficult production of one of the best musicals of the twentieth century. Bertone has built herself a following of devoted and dedicated performers and audience members, admiring her persistence, her support, and her attention to detail, especially considering the effect of movement and space in telling stories. “Carousel” becomes one of her crowning achievements to date.”

Carousel (Brian Balduzzi, ArtsImpluse)
“Bertone’s fresh and fiery choreography is the standout key in this staging. “Sit Down” and “The Crapshooters’ Dance”–both showstoppers –demonstrate Bertone’s inventive approach to blocking and fast-paced movement. She is a choreographer of the first order.”

Guys and Dolls (Jules Becker, Boston Theatre Wings)

Building community through artistry, compassion, and a fierce commitment to collaboration.

“It’s a three-hour extravaganza…Directed and choreographed by Elliot Norton Award winner Rachel Bertone, the production boasts a stellar cast. Bertone captures that 1940’s slang and can-do optimism. I LOVED this production.”

“An American in Paris may be Reagle’s best ever… [Bertone has] done it again. The RMT production of An American in Paris is sumptuous and elegant…a fully-realized theatrical spectacle of the first order that will also please fans of the movie.”

“How can it be that, after all these years, West Side Story still has the power to soar, to make me cry, to entertain me? Most of the credit goes to Shakespeare, Robbins, Bernstein, Sondheim, and Laurents. Now I'll add Bertone to the list.”

“A full-throttle production superbly directed and choreographed by Rachel Bertone.”

“Bertone’s fresh and fiery choreography is the standout key in this staging. “Sit Down” and “The Crapshooters’ Dance”–both showstoppers –demonstrate Bertone’s inventive approach to blocking and fast-paced movement. She is a choreographer of the first order.”