PRESS
42nd street
“When Samantha Rose Cárdenas first gets to let the tap shoes loose in “Go Into Your Dance,” the audience realizes they are, indeed, seeing a true triple-threat at work.”
— The Road to 1,000 with Marc Gonzalez
“Samantha Rose Cárdenas as Peggy Sawyer is beguiling. She has pitch perfect vocal cords and is marvelous in the tap dancing routines.”
— Talkin’ Broadway
“Samantha Rose Cárdenas as Peggy is an athlete in kitten heel tap shoes, and she nails her comic lines and Peggy's star transformation.”
— Vmedia Backstage
“Samantha Rose Cárdenas brings a pleasing combination of innocence and expertise to the role of Peggy Sawyer, not to mention a fine sense of comic timing.”
— Two on the Aisle
“Samantha Rose Cárdenas as Peggy Sawyer sweeps the show up nicely with a flawless leading performance in the Act Two title song’s song-and-dance number.”
— The Road to 1,000 with Marc Gonzalez
WEST SIDE STORY
“Ingenue Maria’s ‘I Feel Pretty’ is a showstopper, sung by the super talented Samantha Rose Cárdenas, who will be a star someday”
— Palo Alto Daily Post
“Cárdenas is perfect and delightful”
— Vmedia Backstage
“An excellent cast led by an outstanding performance from Samantha Rose Cárdenas as Maria, who is not only a wonderful, powerful singer, but a blessedly fine actor as well.”
— SF Examiner
“Cárdenas’ bubbly ‘I Feel Pretty’ is a bona fide show stopper”
— Monterey Herald
“Samantha Rose Cárdenas as Maria wraps herself in the role with an innocent and believable performance.”
— Gilroy Dispatch
“Samantha Rose Cárdenas is a spunky and joy-filled Maria with a lovely, powerful voice.”
— Regarding Arts
THE 25TH ANNUAl PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
“As the emotionally needy Olive Ostrovsky, petite Samantha Rose Cárdenas has the biggest pipes in the show. Her haunting duet with Chiappone (as Olive’s distant mother), “The I Love You Song” is incredibly moving.”
— The San Jose Mercury News
“Samantha Rose Cárdenas was mesmerizing as Olive Ostrovsky. She is a fine actor who is totally in the role and sings and dances beautifully.”
— Regarding Arts
“With her big, toothy smile, enthusiastic arm movements, and voice sweet as honey, Olive wins William's and our hearts.”
— Talkin’ Broadway
HEATHERS
“Samantha Rose Cárdenas is evil and adorable as Heather Duke.”
— Vmedia Backstage
“The Heathers (Jocelyn Pickett, Samantha Rose Cárdenas and Lizzie Moss) are deliciously bitch to the third power.”
— SF Examiner
“Samantha Rose Cárdenas is sociopathic as Heather Duke, the second banana thirsting for her chance to take over.”
— KQED Arts
“As the Heathers, Jocelyn Pickett, Samantha Rose Cárdenas, and Lizzie Moss each bring appropriate haughtiness and swagger with individual abilities to belt out and sell through terrific singing and high-kicking dancing. While each starts as a stereotype that looks much like the others, all find ways to let us watch her Heather develop into a unique and memorable character.”
— Theatre Eddys
IN THE HEIGHTS
“Samantha Rose Cárdenas’ vocals not only sounded fantastic but actually made musical sense in terms of acting through her words. Cárdenas’ best acting moments came when her crystal like voice rang through Breathe and Everything I Know.”
– The Road to 1,000 with Marc Gonzalez
CITY OF ANGELS
“With a seductive voice and tigress claws, Samantha Rose Cárdenas is a knockout as the screenplay’s Mallory. She is slithering and sexy, just as the noir genre demands.”
— Theatre Eddys
EVITA
“As Peron’s mistress, Samantha Rose Cárdenas has but a few minutes on stage, but she makes them count as she reflectively sings the poignant “Another Suitcase in Another Hall.”
— The San Jose Mercury News
“Samantha Rose Cárdenas’ treatment of "Another Suitcase Another Hall" was a soft, lovely, welcome and heartfelt moment.”
— Gilroy Dispatch
LES MISÉRABLES
“As Cosette, Samantha Rose Cárdenas is angelic-voiced.”
– SJ Mercury News