Selected Reviews

"A 'Jagged Little Pill' for these times" The Boston Globe, Christopher Muther - May 25, 2018
Everyone on stage practically fades into the omnipresent video screens when scene-stealer Lauren Patten enters. Her character, a teen named Jo who is exploring gender identity, is clearly Cody’s favorite vessel. Here’s an individual who’s written as the ultimate outsider with a fragile heart of gold. Jo is an amalgamation of pop culture’s best, wittiest teen outcasts. It could be argued that Patten’s command is a result of performing two of Morissette’s biggest numbers, “Hand in My Pocket” and “You Oughta Know.” But Patten’s “Hand in My Pocket” rivals Judith Light’s extraordinary performance of the song on “Transparent,” which is no small feat.
​“You Oughta Know” is an instant crowd-pleaser. But Patten’s vocals and thrashing shoulders invoke the urgency of another 1990s benchmark, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and frosts it all with a “Spring Awakening” kick. She is able to bring the audience to its feet. Even those who have no context for the song in their lives were standing at the Loeb Wednesday night.

"'Jagged Little Pill' Musical Review" Variety, Bob Verini - May 25, 2018
With master orchestrator Tom Kitt (“SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Next to Normal”) expanding the sound to Broadway size for the onstage band, the result is intimate songs transforming before our eyes into explosions which — in the case of “You Oughta Know,” the lacerating indictment of sexual betrayal assigned here to the rejected Jo — inspired a spontaneous standing ovation on opening night for Patten and the troupe. Patten, a dead-ringer for Ellen Page in “Juno,” is one of two breakout stars in this production.

"Has Alanis Morissette Made the Most Woke Musical Since 'Hair'?" The New York Times, Joshua Barone - May 16, 2018
​But sometimes the production leaves Ms. Morissette’s cherished music alone: The staging for “You Oughta Know,” sung by the scene-stealing Lauren Patten, is so spare it could just as easily be an intimate concert. (At the performance I attended last week, Ms. Patten’s “You Oughta Know” stopped the show with a minutes-long standing ovation. I was told that this has been happening every night since previews began on May 5.)

"The Wolves" The New York Times, Ben Brantley - September 11, 2016
...some of the most exciting and affecting ensemble work on a New York stage.
And she never, ever betrays the distinctive selves of her characters, nor do the actresses playing them. I deliberately haven’t singled any one out, for fear of possibly slighting the others. (Check the cast box, and note the names; every one of these young women warrants watching in the future.)

"The Wolves" Variety, Frank Rizzo - December 10, 2016
In this heady rush of adolescent energy, ideas and emotion, the ensemble work is astonishing. The performers in this Playwrights Realm production have been sharpening their rhythms since early fall in this extended run, and the result is acting teamwork of the highest order. Particularly memorable [is]...Lauren Patten as the team captain who deals with responsibility and guilt...

"Fun Home" West End Frame, Andrew Tomlins - April 18, 2016
Lauren Patten excelled as Medium Alison; Patten aced the funniest song of the evening, "Changing My Major," which comes when Alison falls madly in love with her friend Joan. Patten's rendition went down a storm. 

"Spring Awakening" Stage and Cinema, Tony Frankel - September 26, 2014
Surrounded by a bevy of impeccable thespians, the distinctive Lauren Patten nonetheless stands out as Ilse. In one scene, Patten embodies an array of emotions: frustration, love, neediness, desperation, joy, loneliness, and selflessness. 

"Spring Awakening" Stage Scene LA, Steven Stanley - September 18, 2014
As for Lauren Patten...I have never seen a more extraordinarily powerful Ilse, no mere teen runaway this time round but a deeply troubled sexual abuse victim just barely holding it together, and Patten’s deep, powerful pipes give Adele a run for her money.

"Deaf West and Michael Arden Discover a New 'Spring Awakening'"   Broadway World, Ellen Dostal - September 17, 2014
Lauren Patten makes bold choices in a strong characterization of the wayward Ilse, accompanied by a dusky, warm singing voice that, once again, comes as a wonderful surprise, given her willowy frame.