Theater review | Red Herring’s Haunting, Thorny ‘The Children’
And Josie Merkle’s breath-taking Hazel is impossible to take your eyes off, even when it hurts; the bruised and beating heart of the play. She deploys her well-known sense of physical comedy with scalpel-like precision, getting the most out of angrily cranking a radio, shaking a bottle, tearing lettuce apart to make a salad. As her character’s desperation to stay fit enough to enjoy a life that might already be too far from shore reaches a fever pitch, it’s like watching a symphony of open wounds.
– Richard Sanford for Columbus Underground
Aug 31, 2021
Theater review | CATCO and Evolution Shine Light on a Dark Piece of History in Engrossing 'Breaking the Code'
These actors make outsized impressions for the time they’re on stage. They also allow the nuances of Josie Merkel’s tour de force performance as Turing’s mother, Sara, to shine. These scenes with Sienna and Kravitz plant the seeds of Merkel‘s furious, heartbreaking defense of her son.
– Richard Sanford for Columbus Underground
Oct 29, 2018
Theater review | ‘Chapatti’: Drama demonstrates that it’s never too late to love
Merkle is marvelous at layering her role with suffering, courage and realism as well as personality and sparkle.
– Michael Grossberg for The Columbus Dispatch
Apr 14, 2018
Theatre Review | Red Herring’s Moving, Gripping Road to Mecca
Merkle throughout is a masterclass in how to imply a whole life in a few gestures, just watching her look at Davis and say “Are we going to have that argument again” without quite eye-rolling but with a shift in energy, drew me to the edge of my seat. Merkle’s perfect sense of quiet draws shades out of Davis and Davis matches her beat for beat.
– Richard Sanford for Columbus Underground
Apr 13, 2017
Theater review | ‘Becoming Dr. Ruth’ Merkle shines in Gallery Players production
Josie Merkle evokes Dr. Ruth in all of her wit and hard-earned wisdom.
A veteran central Ohio actress known for other memorable roles in classic and modern dramas, Merkle holds the spotlight effortlessly throughout the solo evening.
– Michael Grossberg for The Columbus Dispatch
Sept 25, 2016