Performer / Producer
Matthew Ian Welch
PRESS AND GALLERY
The Last Romance
Jenny Lower
"Storm's self-deprecating humor is pitch-perfect ... but the honeyed operatic interludes of Matthew Ian Welch, as young Ralph, are easily the most transporting."
http://digitalissue.laweekly.com/publication/index.php?p=46&i=136803&ver=swf&pp=1&zoom=0
The Yeomen of the Guard Tom Provenzano
"...But the standout of the overstating is the extremely boyish Matthew Welch as tragic jester Jack Point, who gambols through the proceedings with an endearingly exaggerated cockney dialect before letting loose with a heartbreakingly powerful baritone that seems nearly impossible from his compact physique. "
The Mikado
R.D. Foster
"Matthew Ian Welch, decked in a silvered military uniform topped with an improbably peaked hat, gleefully played the Mikado. His youth and height lent extra relish and riot to the part that threatened to comically derail the production. He looked like a cross between Hitler and Kim Jong-il. My private fantasy: Welch breaking genre and high stepping into a rendition of Springtime for Hitler."
http://www.examiner.com/review/pacific-opera-project-s-the-mikado-a-radiant-flux-of-fun
The Last Romance
Audrey Linden
"Completing the cast is 20ish Matthew Ian Welch as 'Young Ralph,' whose gorgeous operatic baritone comes as quite a surprise from a sandy-haired boy-next-door you’d expect, at first glance, to be following in Justin Bieber’s footsteps rather than Robert Merrill’s. Not [only] does Welch sing extraordinarily well, he shows off fine acting chops in a flashback to Ralph’s audition at the Met, and is quite believable as Storm’s younger self."
www.examiner.com/review/can-romance-bloom-between-seniors?cid=CommunityPacific
The Last Romance
Neal Weaver
"Director James Paradise stages the piece skillfully, eliciting nuanced performances. Storm’s Ralph is an antic figure, mischievous, flirtatious, and incurably romantic. Van Kampen emphasizes Carol’s directness, her hard-won independence, and her fear of commitment, which gives way to exuberance and longing for romance once she begins to trust Ralph. Sinclair persuasively suggests Rose’s very real love for Ralph even as she reveals the desperation in Rose’s efforts to drive away the competition. Matthew Ian Welch lends his considerable vocal gifts to Ralph’s opera-singing younger self, performing choice excerpts from Italian operas."
The Last Romance
Shari Barrett
"As the story unfolds, Matthew Ian Welch sings beautiful operatic arias during each scene break, often assisting Ralph with costume changes. The singer is really a younger Ralph on the day he auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, the most important day of his young life. Welch is an accomplished singer and his beautiful vocals allow us to comprehend Ralph's life-long love with opera, a theme that resonates throughout the play."
The Mikado
John Farrell
"The best was saved for last, when the Mikado (Matthew Ian Welch) made his imperial appearance on stage, dressed in a shiny satin suit with riding pants, boots, an arm-band and a hat two sizes bigger than hi head required. If he looked a little like a certain Second World War dictator, he “Let the Punishment Fit the Crime” in a song re-written by Namara that includes digs at the Kardashians and condemned everyone to ride on the L.A. trains and buses. He was hardly frightening, but hugely comic."
http://www.randomlengthsnews.com/mikado-at-pacific-opera-project/
The Last Romance
John Farrell
"...and even music, operatic music provided by a young man, Mathew Ian Welch, with a rich and booming baritone, flows...Welch, by the way, is worth the price of admission alone. He sings snatches from Italian opera and even — if we are not mistaken — some Mozart, with great voice and presence. It will be nice to hear him again on a bigger stage."
The Mikado
David Maurer
"Best of all is Matthew Ian Welch as the Mikado. Youthful and small of stature, Welch possesses a surprisingly strong baritone, which helps project an overinflated sense of self-importance worthy of Kim Jong Un. His shiny gray military-style costume accessorized with aviators, a riding crop and oversized peaked cap magnify his ridiculousness."
http://culturespotla.com/2013/09/review-pacific-opera-project-presents-the-mikado/
The Last Romance
Dany Margolies
"The other is young Ralph, the person who might have been a star, and Matthew Ian Welch sings that role magnificently...Welch sings bits of opera (including Massenet) and Italian folk song (the lovely “Torna a Surriento”), but the most meaningful is Silvio’s aria, symbolizing Ralph’s—and all of our—postponed plans and lost opportunities.
I Love You Because
Steven Stanley
"Bennett gives Diana classic movie sidekick sass, shows off terrific vocal chops, and has great chemistry with the scene-stealingly wacky Welch, whose Jon Hederesque nerdy cuteness makes his operatically trained pop baritone come as a stunning surprise."
The Last Romance
Steven Stanley
"As Act 1 opens we see and hear young Ralph, as brilliant opera singer Welch sings an Italian aria in his rich, glorious voice ... I could have listened to Welch all night. Paradise’ direction with the young Ralph singing while the senior Ralph is on stage was so meaningful and enriched the story. The very talented Welch has quite a future ahead of him."
The Yeomen of the Guard
Randall Gray
"...Perhaps the star of the show, the one who the audience finds themselves watching and listening to the most - regardless of what else is going on on the stage, would be Matthew Welch, who portrays Jack Point and the Yeoman. This young man has a splendid bass voice and seems to move on stage as though his very bones were made of silly putty. Delightful for those who love Gilbert and Sullivan productions. The remainder of the cast is stellar as well, but most of my readers have come to expect me to spotlight the key performer, and in this production Matthew Welch steals the show..."
The Yeomen of the Guard
Fran Syverson
"... Jack Point, a street jester played by Matthew Welch. It is no exaggeration to say that when he takes the stage, he owns it. In his black-and-while checkered jesters suit, Welch is charming, ingratiating, sensitively serious and as rubber-jointed and limber as a Gumby toy. He captures our hearts..."
Carmen
Lauri Goldenhersch
One of the things that sets POP apart is the real effort to cast every role well, making the performances of some of the smaller roles major highlights... Bass Matthew Ian Welch has a fine turn as the budding lothario Morales, with a big voice that sounds better each time we hear it.