RAVES
"Thanks for all the beautiful light!!"
- Louis Kavouras, Staging, Agathlon, UNLV Dance Full Spectrum "Thank you for your ALWAYS FABULOUS work on the [Rocky Horror] show!" - Philip Crosby, Executive Director, Richmond Triangle Players "Thank you so very much for the beautiful lighting for ALL the Showcase participants. Its always a pleasure working with you." - Starr Foster, Artistic Director, 18th Annual Mid-Atlantic Choreographers' Showcase "You're so awesome in all that you do. Thank you, you, you for your masterful skills at the lighting board. I so appreciate you." - Christopher Huggins, Choreographer, Have We Landed on the Moon?, UNLV Dance Now Is The Time "Thank you again for a beautiful lighting design." - Cathy Allen, Choreographer, Entrances and Exits, UNLV Dance Now Is The Time "Thank you for all of the stellar artistic knowledge, wisdom and expertise you brought forward to make "Off The Chain" an honest realization. I can't tell you how grateful I am." - Vikki Baltimore-Dale, Choreographer, Off The Chain, UNLV Dance Forward Motion "We can't thank you enough for all the hard work, continuous help, and amazing results. We truly could not have the show we have without you." - Morrie and Carol Piersol, Director and Producer, The Glass Menagerie "Thank you for your creative calm, whimsical wonder, utmost creative diligence, and truly unmatched professionalism." - Stephen Rudlin, Music Director, Gypsy "Thank you for such a beautiful palette you created for "Checkered". You sculpted the stage perfectly and illuminated the dancers exquisitely. I am forever grateful." - Vikki Baltimore-Dale, Choreographer, Checkered "YOUR LIGHTS ARE SO GOOD." - Deejay Gray, Director, Sweeney Todd "Dear Michael - Thank you sooooo much -- the show looks really terrific!!!! And it is always a pleasure to work with you!! I hope it happens again soon." - Patti D'Beck, Director, La Cage aux Folles "Thank you and congrats to you on this concert! You did a beautiful job and I look forward to the future!" - Richard Havey, Rehearsal Director, Drei, UNLV Dance Together 7 "As always, SPOT on. Thank you." - Stephen Rudlin, Vocal Director, A Chorus Line "Michael - Thank you for hearing my vision - then creating a visceral, dynamic, and inventive landscape with the lights. I couldn't be happier". - Josh Chenard, Director, Moth "Thank you for all of your stunning work on Hunchback. It is always a pleasure to collaborate with you. Looking forward to the next time!" - Garrett Jones, Music Director, The Hunchback of Notre Dame "It looks fabulous!" - Keith Fitzgerald, Director, Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens "Thank you so much for always elevating the scene with your artistry!" - Stephen Rudlin, Music Director, Once Upon A Mattress "OMG! Congrats and snaps on Opening! Show looks terrific!!! I can never say enough how much I love working with you!" - Patti D'Beck, Director, Legally Blonde the Musical "Saw Heathers tonight and your lighting was spectacular!! Really!! Great job by cast and crew! Your lights really shone!!!" - Myra Daleng, Director of Dance Emeritus, University of Richmond "Extraordinary production of Rabbit Hole at Cadence Theatre Company. Beautifully written, exquisitely directed and designed, and achingly performed. Bravo all!" - Philip Crosby, Executive Director, Richmond Triangle Players "Truly enjoyed the fine work at Cadence last night in Rabbit Hole... gorgeous design by Rich Mason, Michael Jarett, Sarah Grady, and all. Congratulations!" - Jan Powell, Producing Artistic Director, Quill Theatre "Michael - Thank you for all of your help and support in making all of this possible. It's always much brighter when you are involved! Thank you!" - Scott Putman, Director/Choreographer, Ready. Set. NOW! "Michael - Thanks for some really great work, man - I appreciate people who no matter what comes at them... makes a killer design anyway. You're the kinda collaborator I should be so lucky as to always work with. Rock + Roll." - Robert Gonyo, Director, Million Dollar Quartet "Thanks Mike! I appreciate your talent and your leadership. Your loyalty to GCN and our people means the world to me." - Bob Laughlin, Executive Producer, Glorious Christmas Nights "Mike - Thanks for once again lending your talents to help me create a beautiful show! It's always a pleasure and I look forward to many more collaborations in the future." - Penny Ayn Maas, Director, Oklahoma! "Michael - Thank you so much for your time, talent, and work on this project. You have truly created a wonderfully lit world of Oz! I look forward to our next collaboration! - Justin Amellio, Director, The Boy from Oz "Thank you so much for your help with RDF! It looked beautiful!" - Jess Burgess, Artistic/Executive Director, Dogtown Dance Theatre "Dear Michael - Thank you for all your hard work putting this presentation together. Without your amazing talent the ballets would not have looked so great. Gracias." - Eric Rivera, Director/Choreographer, Tabula Rasa "When it comes to artistic excellence, Cadence Theatre can't be beat... Cadence manages big budget excellence in production. Rich Mason's set, Liz Hopper's costumes, Michael Jarett's lighting, Jesse Senechal's sound... are all first rate. It's like seeing an award-winning Off Broadway show right here in downtown Richmond." - Bruce Miller, Artistic Director, Virginia Repertory Theater "Michael - Thanks for another great show!... You are brilliant, skilled, kind, and a blast to work with. Till next time!" - James Stover, Director, Urinetown "MJ - Thanks for, once again, creating some magic. My piece is so wonderfully manly and GAY! I love it!... You are reliably, consistently the VCU Dance angel! A thousand thank yous" - Courtney Harris, Choreographer, Mr. Opa Cupa, VCU Dance NOW 2016 "Michael - As always, it's such a pleasure working with you and knowing you. I always look forward to our next project!" - Deejay Gray, Artistic Director, TheatreLAB "Dear Mike, Thank you so much for all your hard work on Tarzan over the past few weeks! We could not have asked for a better lighting designer to get us through our challenging tech week. We hope to see you at SPARC again soon!" - Your friends at SPARC, School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community "Cadence Theatre's Equus is transcendently beautiful work... Exquisite lights (and video w/ Joey Elswick) by Michael Jarett..." - Jan Powell, Artistic Director, Quill Theatre "Thanks so much! It has been a pleasure working with you." - Leah Glenn, Lauren Morris, Joan Galavar - DancEvent Choreographers "Dear Michael - Another show - another gorgeous design. How do you always do that? Thank you for being a valued part of the team. XOX." - Phil Crosby, Managing Director, Richmond Triangle Players Producer, Buyer & Cellar "Michael - Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!... It has been a great process... The lights are AMAZING!" - Dawn Westbrook, Director, Buyer & Cellar "Thank you for a great run and lovely designs." - Starr Foster, Director/Choreographer, Page to Stage "Michael - Thank you for the use of your design for Mary Poppins 2.0! They made a huge difference on our tiny production." - Brian Marshall, Director, Mary Poppins, Caryl Crane Youth Theater "Michael - Thank you for all of your killer work on this show. Its been amazing... I hope we'll be working together again very soon. Happy Opening!" - James Stover, Director, YANK! "Michael - Thanks so much for being so professional and fun to work with in this process. I've learned a lot getting to work with you & can only marvel at the awesome designs you've created in what seems like no-time flat. Here's to doing this again someday!" - Brennan Jones, Stage Manager, YANK! "I'm so very pleased with how much you've achieved and the ingenius ways you've found to do so much with so little. Thank you for your devotion and your talent." - Bo Wilson, Director, Angels in America "It is a pleasure to finally have the opportunity to work with you. Thank you so much for your work on "Lenten Rose". - Stoner Winslett, Artistic Director, Richmond Ballet "You light up and paint such brilliant hues with your lighting palette that my singers soar even higher. Thank you! Much respect." - Stephen Rudlin, Vocal Coach, Caroline or Change "As always, your work frames the vision so beautifully. I can't thank you enough for listening so carefully to the vision and knocking it out of the park. So grateful for all you do." - Scott Putman, Choreographer - Tensegrity - VCU Dance NOW 2015 "Dear Michael - The Board of the Trinity Star Arts Council appreciates your wonderful contributions to Crowns. The slide presentation gave the musical a theatrical feel and enhanced the storyline. Thank you for taking time in your busy schedule to assist TSAC with this gift to our community... There have been nothing but rave reviews. The board and advisers enjoyed getting to know you and it was our pleasure to have you with us. Best regards." - Beverly Awalt, TSAC Secretary "Thanks so much for your help on this project!! You ROCK and we don't know what we would do if you weren't in RVA!!!" - Charli Brissey and Courtney Harris "The show looks terrific! I hope I can work with you again!" - Patti D'Beck, Director, Man of La Mancha "Working with you has been a blast! I'm so glad I got the opportunity to work with you!" - Kathryn Lea, Stage Manager, Man of La Mancha "Thank you for your beautiful lighting design. You rock!! And I am grateful for your great attitude, professionalism & talents. So fun to work with you. Let's do it again some time!!" - Penny Ayn Maas, Director, Cabaret "You always make my work look incredible. You are a freakin' rock star!" - Rebecca Ferrell, Artistic Director, FDANCE "I can't tell you how much I appreciate your work on this show. Your input and ideas are invaluable." - Carol Piersol, Director/Producer Patti Issues "Your lighting for the work is wondrous and I love what you have done!!!" - Martha Curtis, Choreographer Adventures Portside, VCU Dance NOW "You did such a beautiful job with my lights. You really helped to bring out the emotion in the show. It was such a treat for me to finally see them." - Matt Beyer, Pure Imagination starring Matt Beyer "Scottie's lights were AMAZING." - Phil Crosby, Managing Director, Richmond Triangle Players Producer of Scott Wichmann: This is the Life "Mike--omg--the lighting was stunning! The "worlds" created were real! The lighting for what I'm calling the train scene in nineteen43 (haze and the randomly changing squares of light onstage) --wow--I felt confused, a sense of urgency--much like the refugees might have felt. So poignant!" - Anne Van Gelder, Assistant Director of Dance, University of Richmond "Your lighting was fantastic [for Starr Foster Dance Project]! I'm so thankful to have you on my team for Pure Imagination. Let's make magic!" - Matt Beyer, Actor/Director - Pure Imagination "Michael... [I] came across the footage of Pam's piece with your lighting design. It inspires me as much today as it did nearly two years ago!" - Amie Oliver, Artist "Michael - I cannot thank you enough for all your professionalism, flexibility, and just all around being a great guy. I hope we get a chance to work together in the future." - Deb Clinton, Director of Production, SPARC "Mike - ... what a great job you did in Sarasota - thank you! You're a hard worker, a very pleasant presence in general, and a smart, intuitive designer. What more could I ask for?" - Kate Weare, Artistic Director, Kate Weare Company "Mike - Thanks for your artistry and amazing ability to collaborate effectively!!!" - Cynthia Thompson, Director - Contemporary Dance Ensemble in Concert "THANK YOU for everything you have done for this show and department. We cannot express how grateful we are for all of your hard work. Your artistry elevates the choreography to an entire new level. You BRIGHTEN up our lives. We love you!" - Cast and Crew of VCU Dance NOW 2013 "Mike - Thanks for all you do to make our ideas & "demands" come to life even bigger & better than we imagine! I appreciate you and your work and am glad I have the opportunity to work with you!" - Autumn Proctor, Choreographer Tethered Scope, VCU Dance NOW 2013 "VERY VERY nice work for Christian [von Howard's] DARK CHAPTERS. Your lighting design was/is Tony, Bessie, and everything-award worthy!" - Iquail Shaheed, Artistic Director, Dance Iquail! "Thank you for a very smooth performance and for your amazing gift to make the work beautiful. Its always a pleasure working with you!" - Starr Foster, Artistic Director, Starr Foster Dance Project: Alice "Thank you Mike Jarett for awesome lighting and for working around the clock and still giving your all to everything you do!" - Autumn Proctor, Director, We Are Artists 2012 "Mike - There really are no words to express my thanks, gratitude, and appreciation for all of your hard work, dedication, and care on this show. It never would have been this show without all you have done. You really are amazing. I am so lucky to have had the chance to work with you and hope I do again. Until then, I wish you all the best on all of your upcoming projects. You Rock!" - Yael Lubetzky, Lighting Designer, Spring Awakening "Thank you for being awesome! I've enjoyed working every minute with you... Thank you for being amazing. Thank you for everything." - Thang Dao, Choreographer, Perry-Mansfield New Works Festival 2012 "Mike - Just wanted you to know what happiness it has been to work with you. Your lighting is brilliant. I love it. Continue to light the world with your genius." - Julie Fulcher-Davis, Director, The Musical of Musicals "I can't begin to thank you enough for all you have done for me and my vision. I appreciate you and all you do!" - Autumn Proctor, Choreographer enlight, VCU Dance NOW 2012 "Thanks for lighting The Clarity of Absence so beautifully!" - Rick McCullough, Guest Choreographer, VCU Dance NOW 2012 "Thank you... for everything. I heard many lovely compliments on the lighting design. It was truly gorgeous." - Susan Douglas Roberts, Choreographer Breath to Bone (VHP) "Thank you for the beautiful designs and always being incredible to work with." - Starr Foster, Artistic Director, SFDP 10 Year Anniversary Concert "Thanks so much for all of the hard work you put into this show to make it possible!... What you have done to light the show is absolutely amazing and I couldn't have asked for anything different - it's perfect and exactly how I envisioned it!" - Amy Kaeberle, Director/Choreographer, Locken "Thank you for the amazing design and making the dances beautiful. It has been an absolute pleasure working with you. I appreciate your immense amount of dedication and care. I will look forward to working with you again!" - Starr Foster, Artistic Director, SFDP Erratic Behaviour "Let there be light!... I can never thank you enough for all that you do and for the grace and good humor that you always employ." - Linda Kent, Director, Evening of Dance 2010 "Mike - I honestly don't know how you do it, but I am oh so glad that you do. Thanks for the amazing looks, for working so fast and so well, and for pulling it all together. This show looks outstanding and that, my friend, is all you. Hope we can do it again soon." - Tom Ridgely, Director, The Water Knows My Name "Thank you so much for lighting my ballet so beautifully!" - Ernesta Corvino, Choreographer, Ballet San Marco, Evening of Dance "Michael - Thanks for making the lights for the Carlyon Tribute so beautiful - each piece different yet of a whole... Hope our paths cross again." - Chris Burnside, Director/Choreographer, Move: A Tribute "Michael - Thank you for your solid leadership and beautiful lighting for Evening of Dance. The lighting for The Traveler was stunning. I hope we will work together in the near future." - Janet Taisey Craft, Choreographer, Evening of Dance 2009 "Thank you for everything. You were so great to work with and your lighting was fantastic!" - Steven Smeltzer, Director, The Rocky Horror Show "Thank you so much for your hard work and professionalism. We couldn't have done it without you." - Steve Day, Director and Chris Cragin Day, Managing Director, Firebone Theater Company, Refuge of Lies "Michael - Thank you so much for being a part of this wonderful production... Your lights/artistry are beautiful and I can't imagine this show lit any other way." - Art Devine, Director, Topdog/Underdog "Mike - You did it! Such intelligent, smart, beautiful lighting. Thank you for working tirelessly. You clearly have the 'touch' and I wish you well in your bright future." - Dennis Garnhum, Director, The Two Orphans "Thank you for lighting our way to the Via Dolorosa." - Kate Maguire, Artistic Director, Berkshire Theater Festival "Mike - Thanks so much for coming and lighting [Reflection: Then and Now and Fiddler on the Roof]. It is truly a delight to work with you again. I hope your dedication, artistry and attention to detail will have rubbed off on a few of our current students. I look forward to working with you again in the future." - W. Reed West, Designer and Technical Director, Univ. of Richmond "The lights for Fiddler are spectacular!" - Myra Daleng, Director of Dance, University of Richmond "MJ - Wow! What a pleasure it has been. You have outdone yourself and you make us look soooo good! I hope we can do it again - soon!! Thank you for the hard work and beautiful lights!" - Myra Daleng, Director, Reflection: Then and Now "Dear Mike - As always your work is stunning (and makes the dancers look stunning!). Thank you for all you have done to make Reflection: Then and Now a successful evening of dance. We appreciate your time and talent and look forward to more collaborations." - Anne Van Gelder, Associate Director, Reflection: Then and Now "Dear Michael - I am especially grateful for your efforts over the last 3 years to maintain high standards of production in Arundel. Thank you for sharing your talents, energies, and goodwill with me and others. It is much appreciated." - Adrienne Wilson Grant, Producing/Artistic Director, Arundel Barn Playhouse "Dear Mike - How can I thank you for the lovely lighting designs you've created this concert and past concerts? I love my 'ripple' in Misty and always get a kick when it finds me! The concert looks fabulous and much of that is due to your expertise! Thanks for your professionalism! Congratulations." - Anne Van Gelder, Associate Director, Dancelebration "As you should certainly know by now, you 'light up our lives.' Thanks for helping us be seen... The show's success was definitely partly yours." - Christy Pill, Choreographer and Dancer, Dancelebration "Dear Mike - What a pleasure it has been to work with you this year! Your lighting designs are stunning and really help to make this an incredible performance. Your work ethic is amazing! Thanks for lending your time and talents to Dance the Spirit." - Anne Van Gelder, Associate Director, Dance the Spirit "Dear Mike - Thank you for your participation and artistry." - Bill Hastings, Choreographer, Dance the Spirit "Mike - Thank you for your beautiful lights! I have really enjoyed working with you and look forward to next year! Mazel Tov!" - Myra Daleng, Director, Odyssey of Dance "The show looks great!" - Robin Armstrong, Director, Fuddy Meers |
REVIEWS
"[Murder on the Orient Express] uses many interesting lighting effects under the direction of Michael Jarett. There is everything from blue spotlights from overhead to denote a reenactment of events that have happened earlier in the story, to strobes and video projections of the blizzard, the passing scenery, and the encroaching locomotive. Catch this train before it leaves the station!"
- Dr. Mark Dreisonstok, mdtheatreguide.com "Trains evoke a sense of allure and nostalgia, and the creative team have done a marvelous job of in conveying that through the art-deco inspired staging and Armando Perez's costumes. Golden frames highlight Frank Foster's handsome set and Michael Jarett's snowy video projections and lighting work add cinematic flair [to Murder on the Orient Express]." - Gail Choochan, The Free-Lance Star "Innovative staging by the Riverside production team helped move [Murder on the Orient Express] along from a cafe in Istanbul to the train platform to different scenes onboard the train. There is a very effective use of strobe lights set to Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance with some clever choreography at the end of Act 1 that leaves the audience on a cliff just before intermission." - Stephen Hu, Fredericksburg Free Press "Michael Jarett's lighting and Grace Labelle's sound design work in conjunction to lend a feeling of foreboding to the proceedings; when a police car goes by, you feel the characters' fear [in Pass Over]." - Rich Griset, Style Weekly "The road will later transform through lighting designed by Mike Jarett... As on the silver screen, it's color and light that bring life to the stage along with lively projections... Riverside's production of The Wizard of Oz is a shining example of exceptional theater." - Julia Amis, dctheaterarts.org "Everchanging lighting design by Michael Jarett and video projections enhance [The Wizard of Oz]." - Gail Choochan, The Free-Lance Star "[In Adjusting to the Dark] A tug of war of pushing and calling, caressing and enfolding, silent screams, and a focus on small, riveting hand gestures are all supported by a symbiotic collaboration of movement, music, and an interesting use of footlights... Michael Jarett has added some stunning lighting [to Sisterhood], including tree patterns on the floor that lead us to where the Barbies are buried." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Lighting Designer Michael Jarett makes good use of the cyclorama backdrop for dramatic lighting and a large projected moon [for Into the Woods]." - Rich Griset, Style Weekly "Jase Sullivan's direction and the crew's set, costume, lighting, and sound design are inventive and well-rehearsed [for Into the Woods]." - Christian Detres, rvamag "I'm not one to always pay attention to the lighting and sound design, but the work of Michael Jarett and Nicholas Seaver, respectively, were subtle but effective collaborations that contributed to the overall magic of RTP's Torch Song, under the able direction of Gary C. Hopper." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Frank Foster is behind [Jersey Boys'] sleek staging, complemented by Mike Jarett's dynamic lighting and projection design and snazzy show looks by Erin Welsh." - Gail Choochan, The Free-Lance Star "Special mention to Mike Jarett's lighting and projection design [for Jersey Boys] which enhances Frank Foster's scenic design with key images and video clips, illustrating highlights of the moments in the story. The two-tiered set is flexible enough to evoke the back alleys of New Jersey, various nightclubs, and stage appearances with cinematic ease. All in all, Riverside's Jersey Boys delivers the goods." - Jeffery Walker, dctheaterarts.org "Terrific lighting design by Michael Jarett... contributed to [BODYTRAFFIC's] strong performance spanning multiple styles and themes... [The One to Stay With is] visually satisfying and exquisitely danced... Skillful lighting showed BODYTRAFFIC's dancing at its best while creating distinct tones, moods, and settings for the different works and moments within them." - Melissa Strong, Broad Street Review "...Michael Jarett's balance of light and shadow offers a sense of dimensionality beyond the mere physical dimensions of the stage [for Starr Foster Dance's Swallow]." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Lighting design by Michael Jarett was fantastic at outlining the different sections and individual performers and included a water bowl lit from underneath downstage left which gave the entire stage an ominous glow as if it had given birth to the opiates and was proliferating them throughout [The One to Stay With]." - Brian Fretté, LA Dance Chronicle "The eerily changing lighting from dark to light and dark again [for The Act of Becoming] is by Michael Jarett." - Anthony Marciona, LA Dance Chronicle "Michael Jarett's massive projections elevate [The Bridges of Madison County], helping to establish both time and place. Rolling hills, tree-lined rural roads and starry night skies mix in with black-and-white videos of Francesca and Bud's early beginnings to her fleeting time spent with Robert at Roseman Bridge." - Gail Choochan, The Free-Lance Star "How many superlatives can I come up with for the lighting and projection design of Michael Jarett? Jarett projected pre-recorded video snippets that depicted everything from flashbacks to farmland vistas [in The Bridges of Madison County]." - William Powell, dctheaterarts.org "... Lighting Designer Michael Jarett... brought a new aesthetic to the [Swift Creek] Mill stage [for Tick, tick... BOOM!]... Jarett, who has lit many Richmond stages, and often designs lighting for dance companies, designed lighting that had the kind of movement one usually expects on a dance stage; it perfectly suited the stark and multi-purpose stage pieces... Jarett's lighting seemed to be part of the choreography." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Lighting designer Michael Jarett infuses the scenes with bright bursts of color [in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat]." - Gail Choochan, The Free-Lance Star "Lighting designer Michael Jarett and sound designer J. Pat Bragg must have had a good time putting together effects for this show, as so many different music and dance styles are explored! As I've come to expect from this venue, the technical elements remain consistent and professional." - Julia Amis, dctheatrearts.org "The show becomes more colorful and more ornate as it goes on with the amazing "dreamcoat" of many colors and sets such as neon-lit pyramids with Art Deco-like streaming. Colorful Las Vegas-style backdrops eventually fill the stage with show-stopping lights [designed by Michael Jarett]." - Cordelia Dreisonstok, mdtheatreguide.com "The black-and-white movie clips that Michael Jarett projected [in Ragtime], featuring various cast members, impressed me." - William Powell, dctheatrearts.org "Of particular note is the manner in which this production [of Ragtime] takes on the challenge of presenting a complex historic story involving three separate groups of people who often appear in different locations. These various locations are signaled to the audience by using monochrome and authentic-looking period film reels projected digitally over the stage, using the actors from the production. Projections of vintage postcards are utilized to represent locales such as Atlantic City. Dunes and ocean scenes remind us that the incidents presented were actual historic moments in time and that the human ideals and foibles portrayed are also as timeless as the dunes and sea." - Dr. Mark Dreisonstok, mdtheatreguide.com "Designer Michael Jarett's lighting was such a vital piece of presenting this journey. I was so taken with the way he used lighting to evoke loss, isolation, and diminishment [in The One to Stay With]." - Marlita Hill, LA Dance Chronicle "Lighting design by Michael Jarett's expertise becomes part of the physicality of the movement [in The One to Stay With]." - Joanne DiVito, LA Dance Chronicle "The lighting design [for Ghost the Musical] by Michael Jarett is excellent, setting different moods and also significantly contributing to the show's simple, but highly effective, special effects." - John Bozeman, mdtheatreguide.com "Scenic Designer Frank Foster uses several imaginative elements to help drive the plot [in Ghost the Musical], including projections designed by Michael Jarett that capture New York City's chaotic, exciting atmosphere. Jarett is also the lighting designer and captures, alongside sound designer J. Pat Bragg, the mystical/spiritual tone with a number of creative elements, the most memorable being some chilling work with shadows." - Julia Amis, dctheaterarts.org "[BODYTRAFFIC's] evening opened with the world premiere of The One to Stay With by Baye and Asa... The curtain lifted on a striking image; a large basin set downstage left and thin beam of light pouring over it. Three dancers circled around it as slow drops of water fell from the ceiling into the bowl, an echo drip reverberated around the theater... Vivid lighting by Michael Jarett and business-ey attire... created a dramatic formality... The One to Stay With is certainly creative." - Nadia Vostrikov, The Ballet Herald "Michael Jarett's lighting succeeds seamlessly as it veers from naturalistic to extreme [in Straight White Men]." - Susan Haubenstock, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett returned to the Basement to light his first show [Straight White Men] for the Conciliation Lab, with the excellence we have come to expect of him." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Colangelo supported the theme of trust and relationship by keeping the dancers in nearness and contact for the majority of [Recurrence]. This closeness was made increasingly intimate by Michael Jarett's lighting design in which the upstage black curtain was lowered, shortening the performance space and drawing in the viewer's eye to the interaction of the bodies in space." - Beth Megill, LA Dance Review "Frank Foster's rustic set design [for Bright Star] holds many neat details such as the miniature train moving along a railroad track above the stage and drop-down screens, and the townsfolk holding flickering candles looks pretty at night in Michael Jarett's lighting design." - Gail Choochan, The Free Lance-Star "The plot [of Bright Star] unfolds mainly on a massive turntable [designed by Frank Foster], which rotates throughout the show, and its use illustrates time change (the story is told over two decades) in a really enriching way that I hadn't yet seen onstage. This element, paired with lighting designed by Michael Jarett and projections designed by James Morrison, creates an immersive atmosphere with thrilling effects." - Julia Amis, dcmetrotheaterarts.com "[Amélie] all takes place in David McQuilllen Robertson's exquisite two-tier, pastel-colored Gare De Lyson metro station that - with a quick shift in furnishings, some clever lighting design by Michael Jarett, and animated projections by Patrick Ciamacco - becomes the Two Windmills Cafe, assorted Paris locations, and Amélie's small Montmartre apartment." - Bob Abelman, The News-Herald "Michael Jarett's light design [for Amélie] helped create the right warm moods." - Roy Berko, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's appropriately garish hospital lighting and Nia Safaar Banks' bold costume choices for Carol add interest [to 4000 Days]." - Susan Haubenstock, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's lighting and Kelsey Cordrey's sound design add effective support [to The Revolutionists]." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's lighting and Sheila Russ' costumes are great [for The Cake]." - Susan Haubenstock, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's lighting and Sheila Russ' costumes supported the overall look and theme [of The Cake]." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Yet even though In Rest and Sleep may be thought of as a dark topic, the lighting, while subdued, is not very dark at all. In fact, there are moments when Michael Jarett illuminates the space with bright flashes, like shards of enlightenment." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "The lighting design by Michael Jarett was effective [for Grease]." - William Powell, dcmetrotheaterarts.com "Michael Jarett's lights are nice and moody [for The Glass Menagerie], a tricky thing to do in such a small space, but apparently a skill he has mastered." - John Porter, Virginia Public Media "Michael Jarett's lighting design provides an added punch to silly moments, and, along with Joey Luck's sound design, sets the tone for dreamy scenes and dark moments of despair... [Urinetown] achieves a rare synergy. Each theatrical element complements the others, and all work in tandem to create an experience that is not to be missed." - Claire Boswell, Style Weekly "Sound and lights by Joey Luck and Michael Jarett respectively lived up to the level of excellence expected of these two - helping bring Polson's vision to life while remaining unobtrusively in the background [of Urinetown]." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Michael Jarett's lights don't draw attention to themselves, but perfectly bolster the action [in Urinetown]." - tvjerry.com "Connor Potter's multilevel set works well, and Michael Jarett's lighting design is complex and effective [for Urinetown]." - Susie Haubenstock, broadwayworld.com "A highlight of [Starr Foster Dance's] program was a purposeful and compelling new work, HERE, part of the company's domestic violence initiative. Piercing lighting design by Michael Jarett... guides the movement and the narrative from the mundane to the explosive." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Michael Jarett's subtle lighting cleverly drew our eyes to the appropriate space without distraction [in Admissions]." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Ruth Hedberg's costumes and Michael Jarett's lighting are both perfect [for Admissions]." - Susan Haubenstock, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's lighting captured it all in a golden halo of light - especially in scenes enacted on the extended runway of the stage that ran half the length of the center aisle... all the technical components worked in complete harmony [in Falsettos]." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Michael Jarett's lighting helps visually elevate [Falsettos]." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's lighting is often beautiful [in Falsettos]." - Susan Haubenstock, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's lighting and Sheila Russ' costumes work well [in Falsettos]." - Rich Griset, Style Weekly "Lighting by MIchael Jarett included strobe effects and strands of LED lights, familiar Mario Brothers/Nintendo 64-era tunes infused the sound design by Joey Luck, and elaborate fight choreography by Emily Turner all enhanced the audience's overall immersive experience [in Level 4]." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "The action [in Level 4] takes place in a 'battle chamber' designed by Dasia Gregg. It features turquoise geometrics with LED trim. Michael Jarett's lighting uses that trim to colorful and sometimes immersive effect." - tvjerry.com "Technically, [Level 4's] elements conspire to give the feel of an old console game, including Dasia Gregg's teal circuit-board-themed set design, Michael Jarett's pulsing lights, and Joey Luck's superb sound design." - Rich Griset, Style Weekly "Candy-colored lights (designed by Michael Jarett) and electronic game sounds (composed and designed by Joey Luck) mimic the look of a game [in Level 4]." - Susan Haubenstock, broadwayworld.com "Mercury designers Nicholas Thornburg (scenic), Michael Jarett (lighting), and DW (costuming) keep things simple, colorful, and charmingly low-tech [in The Wizard of Oz]." - Bob Abelman, Cleveland Jewish News "Lighting, in particular, was used to create a romantic ambiance of a Pacific Island, as is appropriate for the love stories and essential for a performance of "South Pacific". The mysterious island of Bali Ha'i is seen sometimes faintly and sometimes glowing in the background... During [Bali Ha'i], beautiful stage light colors are used effectively." - Mark Dreisonstok, The Sentinel "The lighting and projections by Michael Jarett, lighting designer [for South Pacific], are thrilling and lovely as well." - Sara Dudley Brown, thezebra.org "Michael Jarett's lighting is critical to the atmosphere [in South Pacific]." - Maggie Lawrence, The Culpeper Times "Michael Jarett's lighting and Joey Luck's sound design (that includes lots of heavy breathing) are integral elements of this production [of Dance Nation]." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Michael Jarett's lighting is always clean and expressive and suited this tale very well, with its isolated scenes and multiple fades in and out during the same monologue [in Dance Nation]." - Fred Kaufman, broadwayworld.com "[Chaplin] is well staged, with Michael Jarett's lighting striking a mood with each scene change. I was reminded f sepia-tinted photos at the beginning, and the magenta/purple and pink/yellow echoed emotions... All humor includes some wistfulness, Chaplin is advised in his early career. The production skillfully incorporates some footage of the old films; shadows cast by actors on the walls were wonderful, somehow casting a bridge between pantomime and voice, then and now. Wistful." - Maria Shine Stewart, Sun News "This Mercury production manages to find all that is entertaining in [Chaplin]. This is due to... director Pierre Brault's vision and Nicholas Thornburg and Michael Jarett's scenic and lighting designs, which offer a simple and intriguing pretense of a backstage view of Chaplin's life." - Bob Abelman, Cleveland Jewish News "Magic. Magnificent. Marvelous... The Color Purple... is phenomenal... One of the things that made this show special was the gorgeous lighting design by Mike Jarett, who bathed the stage with a series of purple lights onto scenic designer Frank Foster's spare, wooden-planked set." - William Powell, dcmetrotheaterarts.com "Frank Foster's striking set design [for The Color Purple] takes a minimalist approach to this story set in rural Georgia with walls of spaced-out wooden planks. The whole look gets a lovely boost with warm lighting from Mike Jarett, and some cool projections from Patrick W. Lord... The Color Purple is easily one of the year's must-see productions." - Gail Choochan, The Freelance Star "Michael Jarett's supreme lighting is complemented by Patrick Lord's inspired projections [in The Color Purple]." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "Mike Jarett's lighting melded with Patrick Lord's gorgeously evocative projection designs fill in the precise moods with magic subtlety... The soul of effective art is truth and this production [of The Color Purple] radiates truth: the artists onstage who embrace these characters; the director who guided them into the heart of every conflict; the music evokes the very spirit of hope, loss, and love; and the designers who support them all with a unified and seamless vision." - Maggie Lawrence, The Culpeper Times "Michael Jarett's lighting designs are admirably specific and reflective of the ever-changing mood of each piece [in Collective Visions], and he often uses a muted color palette and plays around with shapes, textures, and patterns to good effect." - Lisa G. Bennett, eatmoreartvegas.com "Michael Jarett's evocative lights add yet another dramatic element [to Sweeney Todd]... Every aspect of this deliciously wicked production is top-notch. A season high point." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's sprawling and ingenious lighting design [for Sweeney Todd], including numerous floor fixtures, gives Sweeney moments to lurk in the shadows before his 'friends,' aided by tinted luminosities, 'drip precious rubies.' TheatreLAB's immersive Sweeney Todd is must-see theatre." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "Joey Luck's sound design, Michael Jarett's angry, piercing lighting and Ruth Hedberg's appropriately gloomy costumes all help TheatreLAB give [Sweeney Todd] the big-league treatment even in The Basement's intimate space." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Michael Jarett's lighting heightens [Sweeney Todd's] overall effect." - Rich Griset, Style Weekly "The cast, the tone, the pacing, the minimalist industrial set and the intimate setting [of Sweeney Todd] all work together to create a juicy, gory, bone-chilling evening of theater... Michael Jarett designed the lighting, and there are plenty of special effects to cover the bloody throat slitting, indicate the bakeshop ovens are working, or create projections on the rear wall." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Michael Jarett's lighting design transforms the space to represent different spaces [in Who's Holiday!]." - Claire Boswell, Style Weekly "Michael Jarett's lights add drama and color [to Who's Holiday!]." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's curiously compelling lighting recreates some of the same mix of hot-wash and cold-tungsten that filled the pages of Seuss' original books [in Who's Holiday!]." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Michael Jarett's lighting design was excellent [for Together 7]." - Hal de Becker, www.callbacknews.com "Michael Jarett's lighting beautifully heightens the drama [in The Laramie Project]." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's dramatic lighting perfectly highlights the various emotions of the Laramie community [in The Laramie Project]." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's lighting adds to [The Laramie Project's] dramatic impact." - Rich Griset, Style Weekly "The Laramie Project is set in a rustic space of wooden walls and shelves with a few chairs on multiple levels designed by [Lucian] Restivo, who also designed the sound, and with lighting by Michael Jarett that sometimes resembles sepia-toned photographs. The physical tone almost makes this play feel as if it is dragging the viewer back in time into the wild, wild west, although the events only took place twenty years ago." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Director Lucian Restivo, aided by Michael Jarett's slow-boil lighting, does patient, careful work his actor, who are all onstage for nearly every minute of the show shifting seamlessly from character to character and benefitting greatly from Sheila Russ' pointed but understated costume design [in The Laramie Project]." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Michael Jarett's lighting is colorful and effective [in Beauty and the Beast]." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's tasteful lights [in Significant Other] include a few spots for emphasis (and it's the first time I've seen a light cue get a laff)." - tvjerry.com "Adam Dorland's simple set is monochromatic black: three benches, a coffee table, a shelf, some doorways, and windows work with Michael Jarett's sometimes subtle, sometimes flashy lighting to create the office where Jordan works, his apartment, and the various bars, clubs, and wedding venues where the scenes take place [in Significant Other]." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Michael Jarett's lighting has used rich color accents and dramatic contrast to add beauty and drama [to Sondheim on Sondheim]." - Jerry Williams, Richmond Magazine "On the technical side, I was particularly impressed by Michael Jarett's lights and projections and Joey Luck's exceptional sound design [for Sondheim on Sondheim]." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "This exquisitely designed [Caroline or Change] deals with big issues..." - Christine Howey, Cleveland Scene Magazine "Michael Jarett's lighting design is exciting, using blues, pinks, purples and whites to add drama and shine spotlight on each individual story [in A Chorus Line]." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's lighting is well-manifested and offers some fantastically dark moment throughout [Hand to God]." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "Heidi Rugg's puppet design, Liz Hopper's costumes, and Michael Jarett's nimble, euphoric lighting all contribute to "Hand to God's" efforts to look at how we balance the many tensions hidden inside our deepest selves." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Michael Jarett has added accents to the lighting that boost their effect [in Hand to God]." - Jerry Williams, Richmond Magazine "Michael Jarett's lighting is precise and one of the technical highlights of the production [of A Chorus Line]." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "Frank Foster created a realistic black-brick backstage wall, while Michael Jarett's lighting is almost a scenic element, using precise spots and color washes to add visual drama [in A Chorus Line]." - Jerry Williams, Richmond Magazine "Frank Foster's set is simple and effective, and Michael Jarett's lighting is crucial to this production [of A Chorus Line], washing the walls in color, the spotlight guiding audience attention to one face or another along the line of dancers." - Claire Boswell, Style Weekly "Michael Jarett's lighting [in A Chorus Line] dips frequently into partial illumination and shadow to suss out the secrets behind each dancer's smile." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Nearly everything [in Soho Cinders] takes place on Old Compton Street - the seedy center of London's gay scene - which has been significantly sanitized courtesy of Nicholas Thornburg's simple and handsomely crafted Soho flat exterior and pull out scenery, Michael Jarett's colorful projections, and director Pierre-Jacques Brault's artistic vision." - Bob Abelman, Cleveland Jewish News "Lighting by Michael Jarett lent to the subtleties created by the actors onstage [in Topdog/Underdog]. A simple color shift added noticeably to the mood. Sharp blackouts and playful color were noted and appreciated in this production." - Jo Rozycki, RVA Mag "Michael Jarett's lighting and Jesse Senechal's sound design [for Appropriate] are complementary and make for some moments that are equal parts unnerving and natural." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's creative lighting [for Moth] that includes green laser points and strobe lighting, draws us, the audience, deeper into the characters' complex emotional world... I was entranced by Jarett's lighting, which was as physically engaging as the direction and acting." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Michael Jarett's lights [for Moth] are among the best he's ever done, and that says a lot considering his body of work." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "From the smashing opening scene, [Moth] starts to powerful effect, thanks to Josh Chenard's dazzling staging and Michael Jarett's fantastically varied lighting." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's lights set the mood beautifully [in Romeo and Juliet]." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "Reed West's set has simple, clean lines... and is given more depth by Michael Jarett's lighting [in Romeo and Juliet]." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Lighting Designer Michael Jarett expertly accents the gothic nature of the show and enhances the fluid staging [in The Hunchback of Notre Dame]." - Jeffrey Walker, broadwayworld.com "Lighting Designer Michael Jarett uses clever shadow work and commanding hues to give the stage an intimidating, almost ethereal tone [in The Hunchback of Notre Dame]." - Julia L. Exline, dcmetrotheaterarts.com "Sean McClelland's impressive set features several levels, three giant bells, gargoyles, and the cathedral's well-known multifaceted rose window, providing an effective backdrop that enhances the action, bolstered by Michael Jarett's lighting design [for The Hunchback of Notre Dame]." - Emily Jennings, The Free-Lance Star "Michael Jarett has designed some lovely projections that carry us through the decades and life events of Jen and her two Johns [in John and Jen]." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Three video screens provide the only only scenic element [in John and Jen]. They're filled with Michael Jarett's projections, which chronicle the time period and put the action into historical context." - tvjerry.com "[I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard] remains engaging throughout... Highlights include Michael Jarett's deceptively simple slighting of a deliberately suburban domicile designed by David Melton..." - Brent Deekins, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's lighting is subtle and takes a dramatic turn during key moments in the dialogue [during I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard]." - Julinda Lewis, RVArt Review "Michael Jarett's lighting reinforces the dramatic moments [in I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard]." - tvjerry.com "As always, the technical elements are reliably top-notch... Michael Jarett sets the scene as lighting designer, matching [Mamma Mia's] enthusiastic tone cue-to-cue." Julia L. Exline, dcmetrotheaterarts.com "The stage is bathed in the atmospheric lighting design by Michael Jarett which enhances the muted, sun-drenched, Greek, island villa designed by D.T. Willis, a perfect setting for the action [in Mamma Mia!]." - Jeffrey Walker, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's lighting design is spot-on [for Murder Ballad], highlighting important moments and directing attention to the action as actors utilize the entire space, constantly moving." - Claire Boswell, Style Weekly "Michael Jarett's lights dynamically direct focus on the action, while boosting the drama [in Murder Ballad]." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's warm lighting complements Frank Foster's detailed scene design [for On Golden Pond]." - Maggie Lawrence, Culpeper Times "Nineteen43 is set on a dramatically lit, dark and smoky stage (kudos to Michael Jarett for the lighting design)... Jarett's lighting creates the effect of boxcars..." - Julinda Lewis, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Michael Jarett's lights are expressive and beautiful [for The Last Five Years]." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's delicate lighting aids Burke's directorial vision by isolating the actors in pools of light that highlight both their hard-won individuality and gnawing loneliness [in The Last Five Years]." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "The Basement, the space holding this production [of The Last Five Years], adds another element to the performance's raw power. The set and lighting design, by Matt Shofner and Michael Jarett, respectively, give an ethereal feel to the show, allowing for each vignette to take place out of time and enhancing the intended structure delivered throughout." - Kevin Johnson, Richmond Family Magazine Online "The actors are flanked by production elements that, in and of themselves, miraculously become supporting characters [in The Last Five Years]... Emily Atkins' precise costumes are conservatively bright and vibrant during the characters' tranquil and contented times, but turn darker and bleaker during their more disconsolate moments. This same attention to color also goes for Michael Jarett's precise light design. Matt Shofner's inspired set, which immerses the audience in two opposing tiers directly across from one another, acts as a metaphor. The metaphor is a journey: a journey with its logical beginning, middle, and end." - Brent Deekins, broadwayworld.com "The group portrait that emerges [in The View UpStairs] – fueled by an ambitious, deliciously dissonant score directed by Leilani Fenick and nimble lighting by Michael Jarett that captures the color temperature of every harsh emotion – renders the vast interregnum between two eras of gay life less as a picture of unrelenting upward achievement than as a stretch of difficult decades marked by as many wistful losses as noble, hard-earned gains." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "On the technical side, once again, RTP has put together a top-notch team [for The View UpStairs] including a strong set designed by David Melton, lights by Michael Jarett, and costumes by Ryan Allen... Jarett's lights are perfectly moody and surprising when they need to be. As the play starts in the present but moves back in to 1973, the burden falls on his lights to trigger that shift." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "Michael Jarett's lighting carefully highlights important moments throughout the production and emphasizes the most tragic [in The View UpStairs]." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's lighting often provides evocative support [in The View UpStairs]." - tvjerry.com "Lights! Speaking of dynamics, Michael Jarett's lights add tremendous character to [Heathers the Musical], intensifying moods from scary to snarky to shiny/happy." - David Timberline, Dave's Theater Blog "Ben Burke's set design opts for a hand-drawn look that works well the production's campy appeal, and Michael Jarett's lighting design keeps the emphasis on the characters, as well as Aza Raine's fun and playful choreography [in Heathers the Musical]." - Claire Boswell, Style Weekly "Director Debra Clinton and her creative team paint the production [of Heathers the Musical] with deserved satirical strokes. Ben Burke's pop-up comic book set is functional and accentuated by Michael Jarett's lighting design." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "Ben Burke's simple graphic set contains lots of fun hidden compartments, Ruth Hedberg's costumes are colorful and clever, and Michael Jarett's lighting is awash in saturated color [in Heathers the Musical]." - Susan Haubenstock, Richmond Times-Dispatch "With Michael Jarett's lighting it looks like he... decided to pull out all the stops [in Heathers the Musical]." - tvjerry.com "Lighting by Michael Jarett is dramatic and often monochromatic which, along with muted-tone period costuming by DW, add to the production's preponderant melancholy. The result [in Mercury Theatre Company's Carousel] is a delicate telling of a masterpiece that taps all the things that made it so." - Bob Abelman, Cleveland Jewish News "But man, that lighting! Sometimes, a great lighting design will be like the sumptuous sweet frosting on a yummy cupcake and that was certainly the case here. Michael Jarett bathed the walls in pink at times, had some fun functional elements with lights coming off and on alternately, and best of all, framed Grey Garrett's lovely face at the finale of "A Little Bit Less Than" in the most exquisite way [in It Shoulda Been You]. In a show so strong technically, Mr. Jarett pushed it up an extra notch." - David Timberline, Dave's Theater Blog "Michael Jarett's lighting adds another layer of festive fun [to It Shoulda Been You]." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's lighting adds elegance [to It Shoulda Been You]." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "There are 11 songs in the first act and seven in the second [of It Shoulda Been You]... they do move the plot along and they do showcase the actors in a favorable light. Said lights were subtly designed, with an occasional colorful flourish by Michael Jarett." - Julinda Lewis, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Michael Jarett's subtle lighting design contributes to the evening of elegance [in Some Enchanted Evening]." - Jeffrey Walker, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's lighting design is effective [in Bad Jews]." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "Rich Mason's scenic design, Mike Jarett's lighting design, and Jesse Senechel's sound design all work in favor of the drama... Lighting cues are subtle, used to indicate set elements we can't see: sunlight through windows and flashing lights from a TV screen... These design choices demonstrate artistic restraint and awareness of genre... Rabbit Hole is not to be missed." - Claire Boswell, Style Weekly "Mike Jarett's lighting design makes use of carefully placed recessed lighting in Mason's set and uses lighting tricks to emanate a television screen to great effect... Cadence Theatre's production of Rabbit Hole is beautifully designed and offers captivating performances." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "Although Ben retains a strict Midwestern stoicism throughout the play, we are allowed to see his delicate vulnerability, a feat beautifully crafted by lighting director, Michael Jarett [in The Boatwright]..." - Anna Strock, Richmondmom.com "As directed by Gary Hopper and aided by Michael Jarett's lighting, which rises and falls like ocean waves, "The Boatwright" regularly turns intimate and confessional..." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Fine lighting designs by Michael Jarett and sound design by Ryan Kilcourse contribute strongly to the overall quality of the production [of Million Dollar Quartet]." - William S. Oser, Talkin' Broadway.com "Everything's served up on an authentic Sun Studio set by Jeff Dean, though I suspect Michael Jarett's lighting is better than what was originally available [in Million Dollar Quartet]." - Marie J. Kilker, TotalTheater.com "... and lighting designer Michael Jarett really knows what [he's] doing [in Million Dollar Quartet]... Together, all these talented individual bust a gut telling the story behind the music. Yes, they do." - Marty Fugate, yourobserver.com "Michael Jarett's lighting gilds the lily [in Driving Miss Daisy]." - Jeffrey Walker, broadwayworld.com "Costumes by Gaye Lawe and Michael Jarett's lighting design support the everyday working realities of the story [in Driving Miss Daisy]." - Maggie Lawrence, Culpeper Times "All of this speaks of well thought out, beautifully designed, thoroughly rehearsed, and well performed smart dancing... I admired... Michael Jarett's ethereal lighting [for Starr Foster Dance Project's Fifteen]." - Julinda Lewis, Richmond Times-Dispatch "I especially liked how the music and lighting, designed by Michael Jarett, worked together to set the tone, be it dark and brooding or bright and playful [in Oklahoma!]." - Julia L. Exline, dcmetroarts.com "Michael Jarett's lighting wows in such numbers as 'I Go To Rio' [in The Boy from Oz]." - Rich Griset, Style Weekly "Forgive Richmond Triangle Players... for struggling as best it can to contain the ego, ambition and relentless optimism of award-winning singer-songwriter Peter Allen on its homey stage. But capture and hold it RTP does in its glittering, galloping, candy-colored production of "The Boy from Oz"... Director Justin Amellio runs cast and chorus hard over every inch of Frank Foster's angular, symmetrical set and captures the giddy, flamboyant spirit of the era by allowing lighting designer Michael Jarett to indulge in the hot primary colors and deep color saturation that speak to the show's over-the-rainbow title." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "The set design [for The Boy from Oz] by Frank Foster is Art Deco with four revolving columns lighted from within. Mr. Foster works very nicely with lighting designer Michael Jarett to create flashing lights, colored backdrops, cityscapes and disco ball euphoria." - Fred Kaufman, gayrva.com "Michael Jarett's lights were consistently good and add a nice cabaret style touch [to The Boy from Oz]." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "Michael Jarett's lights were effective [in The Boy from Oz]." - tvjerry.com "... Michael Jarett's lights were excellent [in 4000 Miles]." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "... Michael Jarett's lights are effective [in 4000 Miles]." - tvjerry.com "Joey Luck's bold sound design and Michael Jarett's vibrant lighting are critical aspects of creating an intensifying mood as the action plays out on Adam Dorland's set, a simple but nicely detailed evocation of a low-rent New York rehearsal space [in Venus in Fur]." - David Timberline, Style Weekly "TheatreLAB has slowly come into its own with splendid production values. The scenic design by Adam Dorland is masterful. His angular stage confines and defines the sordid audition room. His panoramic cityscape outside the window is marvelously detailed and moodily evocative. Michael Jarett does his best work in the Basement with this show, having the tools he needs and the creativity to exploit them [in Venus in Fur]." - Fred Kaufman, gayrva.com "Lightning strikes melodramatically at key points in the plot. Michael Jarett's lighting, assisted by Cassidy Serrano, and Joey Luck's sound are integral elements of [Venus in Fur] written by David Ives and directed with pitch-perfect timing and outlandish confidence by Matt Shofner." - Julinda Lewis, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Coupled with Michael Jarett's moody lighting and Joey Luck's sound design of a storm over the city and your body starts to ache with the atmosphere [in Venus in Fur]." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "The warehouse office by Adam Dorland is simple but successful (with an attractive skyline) and Michael Jarett's lighting adds drama and variety to the space [for Venus in Fur]." - tvjerry.com "Mike Jarett's lighting design dynamically accents the action [in Urinetown]." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's lighting can be seen all over town these days and he does not disappoint [in Urinetown]. VCU has the finest equipment around and Jarett knows knows how to use it effectively." - Fred Kaufman, gayrva.com "Michael Jarett does a great job with his lights [for Bad Jews]." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "The Apollo performance is incredible and made even better by Lighting Designer Michael Jarett, who uses creative spotlighting and a glittery disco ball to shake up the atmosphere... Riverside Center for the Performing Arts production of The Buddy Holly Story is musical theatre at its very best." - Julia L. Exline, dcmetrotheaterarts.com "The lighting projections designed by Michael Jarett are nothing less than brilliant... Michael creates the mood for the Cash musical revue [Ring of Fire] using impressive lighting design." - Teague Chronicle "Tennessee Dixon's spare, immersive set creates fractured sightlines that enhance the actors' jangly, all-to-real delivery (audience members are occasionally invited to participate) and Michael Jarett's lighting tumbles across the spectrum as if rolling through all the colors of the human psyche [in Stupid F**king Bird]." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "The environmental set by Tennessee Dixon is simple, yet lovely, while Michael Jarett's lighting quietly complements the mood shifts [in Stupid F**king Bird]." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's lights are soft, subtle, and tinge [Stupid F**king Bird] with a variety of well-placed shadows." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "... Michael Jarett's lush, thoughtful lighting [for Holiday Memories]" - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "The best word to describe [Holiday Memories] is cool. The set, by Vinnie Gonzalez, is cool, the choreography is cool, the lighting, by Michael Jarett, is cool, the costumes, by Ruth Hedberg, are cool; it's just a super innovative and exciting production to watch." - Jen Maciulewicz, rvanews.com "... Michael Jarett's evocative lights [for Holiday Memories]..." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's lighting enhances the low-rent vibe [in Lady Day]." - David Timberline, Style Weekly "Michael Jarett's lights rounded out the club effect, while adding emotional support [for Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill]." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's lights have never been better. Jarett and Joey Elswick have created several nice videos that add several nice touches to [Equus]." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "Working with VCU Dance and Amaranth Contemporary Dance to bring fluid and dreamlike embodiment to six wordless horse characters, director Anna Johnson draws a schematic - aided by Michael Jarett's spare, watchful lighting and Rich Mason's inventive stable-inspired set - that charts how Alan's shame with his own imperfections, stoked by a changing, confusing world, cause him to lash out at a purity he can never live up to [in Equus]." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "In addition to Shaffer's engrossing script, Johnson has added choreography, video projections, Robbie Kinter and Ryan Jones' original music, and a powerful lighting design by Michael Jarett [to Equus]." - Rich Griset, Style Weekly "Rich Mason's striking set, a large white enclosure with elements of a stable, allows for flexibility, video projections, and Michael Jarett's evocative lighting [in Equus]." - tvjerry.com "The resulting piece of work, as produced here with artistic and technical skill so high-level it seems like actual magic... The technical work in [Equus] - the severe lighting, the small building blocks had to be shifted to build the scenes, the projected ornamentation, and the gleefully dark sound design - was thrilling and precise, transforming the performance space into a vast array of worlds with complete ease. It was beautiful I tell you. Beautiful." - Taber Bain, rvanews.com "All of the movement onstage is enhanced by a brilliant lighting design... the true distinguishing factor [of Equus] is thanks to lighting and projection designers Michael Jarett and Joey Elswick." - Dani Brown, Commonwealth Times "Strong choreography supported by powerful music choices, smooth lighting changes and distinctive storytelling ensured that Orchesis Modern Dance Company's "DANCEVENT" was an impressive performance. Each number's smooth and subtle lighting effects by lighting designer Michael Jarett set the mood for the audience." - Emily Chaumont, The Flat Hat "Michael Jarett is rapidly becoming the go-to-guy for lighting design and he once again has put together a good job [for Buyer & Cellar]." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "Aided by Alan Williamson's helpful slide projections and Michael Jarett's lighting, which draws on multiple temperatures to track personalities and scene changes, Cimo is free to imitate Streisand only broadly [in Buyer & Cellar]." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Alan Williamson has created an elegant 'room' featuring large projections that add visual punch lines, while Michael Jarett's lighting provides colorful visual variety and Lucian Restivo's sound design enhances the gags [in Buyer & Cellar]." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's lighting design plays a key role in delineating spaces and transitions [in Buyer & Cellar]." - David Timberline, Style Weekly "Director Daniel Moore, pushing the audience close to Vinnie Gonzalez's deliciously cluttered set and bathing his cast in Michael Jarett's lampshade-shrouded lighting, knows there's no need to sell past the close. Instead, he lets his three remarkable actors nail the mix of ego and aloneness central to each character [in American Buffalo]." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "...Michael Jarett did an admirable job with the lampshaded lighting design [in American Buffalo]." - Susan Howson, rvanews "Michael Jarett's lights are nicely gloomy [in American Buffalo]." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "Michael Jarett has cleverly used an eclectic assortment of lamps across the ceiling [in American Buffalo]." - tvjerry.com "J.D. Madsen's scene design goes from nighclub glitz to simple but accurate area staging to the magnificent stained glass interior of the finale. Complimented by Michael Jarett's lighting, time and place are rendered three-dimensionally [in Sister Act]." - Maggie Lawrence, northernvatimes.com "The magic begins [in Mary Poppins] when the unremarkable, unadorned wall that represents the Banks' modest home transforms into the backdrop of every fanciful location that houses a musical number... thanks to director Pierre-Jacques Brault's creative vision and Michael Jarett's gorgeous projections." - Bob Abelman, Cleveland Jewish News "Michael Jarett, who designed the projections [for Mary Poppins], is also responsible for the fantastic lighting. It reinforces a non-realistic atmosphere through various colors and is intense when necessary." - Aaron Krause, Norwalk Reflector "Directed with giddy abandon by Penny Ayn Maas, "Psycho Beach Party" accelerates to all-out cowabunga speed once Chicklet – aided by Michael Jarett's roiling strobes and candy-colored lighting – jolts into an alternate, take-charge female personality, which stokes the macho hots of The Great Kanaka, laconic king of the surfers." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "[Penny Ayn Mass is] assisted by an active lighting design from Michael Jarett that helps delineate Chicklet's personality transitions in addition to giving Frank Foster's simple but versatile set a bright, sun-soaked look [in Psycho Beach Party]." - David Timberline, Style Weekly "Richmond Triangle Players have presented the perfect summer fling in their darn-near perfect production of Charles Busch's campy creation, "Psycho Beach Party"... The lighting, by Michael Jarett, the sound effects, by Joey Luck, the staging, and timing are positively on point." - Jen Maciulewicz, gayrva.com "Frank Foster's set and Michael Jarett's lights add colorful fun [to Psycho Beach Party]." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's lights are good [for Psycho Beach Party]. - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "Aided by Michael Jarett's galloping, feverish lighting, director kb saine expertly whipsaws Silver's narrative across Daniel Allen's three-bed set in The Basement, TheatreLAB's raw and unblinking performance space, as the action turns on a violent act by Sydney that fuses three distinct episodes [in The Altruists]. - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "A great script. Check. Great actors. Check. Great stage management and lighting design. Check. Great costume and scene design. Check. Great sound and director. Check. Great props design. Check... The Altruists is brilliant, magic theater." - Julie Clayton, gayrva.com "The scenes [in The Altruists] are cinematically intercut: the action shifts with lightning precision." - tvjerry.com "[Ghost] Director Pierre-Jacques Brault finds interesting ways to simulate ghostly activities, such as walking through closed doors, and this is all enhanced by an effective lighting design by Michael Jarett and a solid orchestra under the baton of Eddie Carney." - Christine Howey, Cleveland Scene Magazine "With a stage version of "Ghost," based on the movie of the same name... one desires some effects that communicate a world turned topsy turvy, devoid of equilibrium. Mercury's technical team has effectively implemented those effects... Mercury Theatre Company effectively employs dizzying lighting effects... while giving the romantic story at the show's heart the attention it deserves." - Aaron Krause, Norwalk Reflector "The young and winning cast members, tracked by Michael Jarett's aggressive, piercing lighting and projection design, bring heart and sympathy to "Yank!'s" broader theme of how young men, facing their destinies on a bewildering global scale, must come to terms with who they really are." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times- Dispatch "... Michael Jarett's lighting did most of the heavy lifting [in YANK!]. The rear-projected images gave historical content." -tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett has done double duty [for YANK!], designing a good light grid and creating a series of projections that help ground the audience in the 40's." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "What first struck me when [YANK!] started was the clear communication between the lighting, set and costume design. The dark stage illuminated a spotlight on Stu (Andrew Coletti) and the projector in the background showed a light blue plane which turned bluer and bluer as Stu finishes his speech about his fascination for an old diary he found. As the blue increased, Mitch's (Ed Hughes) silhouette is revealed and I could feel in that moment - while the music mixed with images onstage - this play was going to be chalked full of intense meaning and it had a quintessential platform to express that meaning to its fullest." - milopfeffer, gayrva.com "Michael Jarett's lights worked very well... to move [when last we flew] along." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "The actors' efforts [in Angels in America] are enhanced by Michael Jarett's lighting, Joey Luck's sound, and Kylie Clark's special effects. At the show's conclusion, the contributions of all three come together in an orgy of spectacle." - Rich Griset, Style Weekly "Michael Jarett, keeping his lighting at a low simmer, adds to the free-floating sadness that imbues characters who must slowly admit the truths of their essential natures to themselves and those they love [in Angels in America]." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Frank Foster's simple but effective set of silhouetted outlines is brought to life by Michael Jarett's dynamic lighting. This production [of Angels in America] is practically flawless." - tvjerry.com "The New Works Festival was a truly dynamic production... Rex Wheeler's "Lenten Rose" was very charming and delightful... Lighting design by Michael Jarett was truly unique compared to the other pieces, as well as the costuming by Emily DeAngelis." - Andrea Mayberry, gayrva.com "... it seems no expense was spared for the lighting. Beautiful and evocative was uniquely designed for each piece [in Richmond Ballet's New Works Festival] by a different lighting designer: Christopher Devlin Hill, Jason "Blue" Herbert, Michael Jarett, and Brittany Diliberto." - Julinda Lewis, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Michael Jarett takes charge of the space with such a creative mastery of light, directing your attention to wherever he sees fit. The strong choices of color used in different scenes and spotlights used to help Bernard narrate his letters to Pauline Kale truly lay the railway for [Oblivion] to charge full speed with fluidity and direction." - milopfeffer, gayrva.com "... Michael Jarett's lights are very strong [for The Lion in Winter]." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "Costumes by Anna Bialkowski, lighting by Michael Jarett, and set design and painting by Joshua Bennett and Christina Della Santi, respectively, set an authentic tone and backdrop to this sad but funny tale [of The Lion in Winter]." - Susanna Wu-Pong, Richmond Family Magazine " '(red) patient' was an anxiety-driven work that introduced us to Mercer's cutting-edge movement vocabulary. An organic pulse provided a base for Mercer and three women... as they moved through a succession of lighted squares (beautifully lit by Michael Jarett) with phrases that suggested attachment and detachment." - Julinda Lewis, Richmond Times-Dispatch "At the Grace Street Theater, director Gary C. Hopper and his production team have constructed a show that's high on stagecraft and clever in its execution... Through echoes, smoke and other effects, sound designer Joey Luck, lighting designer Michael Jarett and set designer Joshua Bennett have colluded to create an otherworldly atmosphere [in Mr. Dickens' Christmas Carol]. They remind us, that although Dickens' tale leads to joy and redemption, it first portrays death and despair." - Rich Griset, Style Weekly "What really set [Mr. Dickens' Christmas Carol] apart from other versions were the inventive projections by Tennessee Dixon, very effective lighting by Michael Jarett, and dramatic sound designed by Joey Luck." - Julinda Lewis, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Director Gary C. Hopper puts all of the pieces together [in Mr. Dickens' Christmas Carol] to establish the beautiful images created by Wilson (and Dickens') words along with Joshua Bennett's sets, Michael Jarett's lights, and Tennessee Dixon's stunning projection design... Each scene is like an illustration jumping right from the pages of the book." - Bruce Levy, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's lights [for Man of La Mancha] are very good - equal to just about any seen on a professional stage this season." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "Technically [Hedwig and the Angry Inch] is superb as well. Michael Jarett's lighting design is spectacular and innovative for a such a small new space." - Brucy Levy, broadwayworld.com "[Hedwig and the Angry Inch] is The Basement's virgin production: the space, the set, and Michael Jarett's simple but creative lighting are perfectly suited to this intimate, raw show." - tvjerry.com "Garland (The Day the Sky Fell)," performed elegantly by Jordan Livermon Glunt to music by Arvo Part, took on the theme of loss and journey to healing. Lighting Designer Michael Jarett deserves applause for setting a quiet tone of solitude while also capturing the passage of time and how long the healing process takes. Between [Starr] Foster's choreography and Jarett's ability to turn Grace Street Theatre's stage into an infinite experience, the piece left the audience vibrating like a plucked guitar string." - Sheena Jeffers, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Lighting designer Michael Jarett holds every scene [in Design for Living] steady in warm tones that cool ever so slightly only at moments when the feckless, loyalty-challenged characters resolve to more forward in their lives, like sharks that know they have no choice but to swim or die." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Michael Jarett's lights work well with David Alan Ballas' surprisingly elaborate and lavish sets that change with each act [of Design for Living]. - Brucy Levy, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's lights are good, nothing overly flashy but they fit the mood nicely [in Design for Living]. - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "Lighting designer Michael Jarett enhances the luridness of the Kit Kat Club while also managing to make it sexy and smoky [in Cabaret]." - David Timberline, Style Weekly "Michael Jarett's lights enhanced Frank Foster's simple two-tier set and artistically added to the emotion of several numbers through shades of yellow, blue and orange. Holly Sullivan's costumes (or at times lack thereof) perfectly set the time and characters. 'Life is a Cabaret;' and as the Emcee says 'leave your troubles outside' because life at this Cabaret at RTP is a beautifully staged, well-cast production." - Bruce Levy, showbizradio.com "...Michael Jarett's lighting design [for Cabaret] is versatile, using spotlights and mood-setting tones." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "The set/lighting/costumes all make striking statements without distracting from the story [in Cabaret]." - tvjerry.com "Closer is a very stylized play that is more like watching an art film live. Visually and aesthetically, the staging of the production is fabulous. Michael Jarett's lighting creates a foggy film-like quality with shadowy very directional shades of reds, pinks, and yellows." - Bruce Levy, ShowBizRadio.com "Were I the Wolf, choreographed by Richmond Ballet II dancer Gavin Stewart and skillfully performed by senior David Claypoole, takes us through the tumultuous journey of man to beast. This transformation, accented spectacularly by Michael Jarett's shadowy lighting design, brings Claypoole's animalistic gestures to a larger than life scale." - Rebecca Ferrell, gayrva.com "[Kiss of the Bee] is carefully thought out and beautifully executed, with... evocative lighting by Michael Jarett." - Julinda Lewis, Richmond Times-Dispatch "The minimalist set design [for Grace] by [Deejay] Gray and [McLean] Jesse is affected by subtle tones provided by floor lamps and evenly placed lighting orchestrated by Michael Jarett." - Jeremy Bustin, www.broadwayworld.com "Using the blank canvas that the show's industrial location provided him, lighting designer Michael Jarett developed a varied palette to enhance the production [of Grace]." - David Timberline, Style Weekly "Michael Jarett's intense lighting design added to Apartment No. 9's voyeuristic tendencies. Single light bulbs hanging from the ceiling switched on and off as the dancers flicked their fingers. The result was mesmerizing and perfectly unsettling." - Rebecca Ferrell, gayrva.com "[Actor Billy-Christopher] Maupin and director [Carol] Piersol, aided by Michael Jarett's warm, sympathetic lighting, carefully maintain the atmosphere of persistent solitude central to "Patti Issues". - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Michael Jarett's lighting includes stained-glass projections that vary in tone and temperature to match moods and moments in the script. This shrewd, shifting lighting - dispassionate tungsten one moment, warm amber the next - serves as an uncredited fourth player: the presence of the divine, gently touching each character's damaged soul in turn [in High]." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Michael Jarett's lighting and projection design adds to the dramatic effect [for High]." - tvjerry.com "Michael Jarett's lighting and projection design [for High] effectively highlight and complement Aitken's design." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "Michael Jarett's lights and projections [for High] bring life to the play's locales." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "Set designer T. Ross Aitken and lighting designer Michael Jarett work in tandem to transform [High's] principle setting, Sister Jamie's office, into other locations with only subtle changes seen in the projections seen through the office window." - David Timberline, Style Weekly "VCU Dance Now opens with Mind the Corners, a piece by Autumn Proctor. Hanging picture frames fill the space as the dancers weave between one another capturing moments like snapshots. Mike Jarett's lighting design dexterously supports the sculpted shapes made within the frames." - Rebecca Ferrell, gayrva.com "Michael Jarett has created a very nice lighting design [for The Quality of Life] which is tricky given the intimate space of HATTheatre." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio "Michael Jarett's light design [for The Quality of Life] resorts to dimly lit lanterns and effectively captures the darkness bottled inside each individual on stage." - Jeremy Bustin, broadwayworld.com "Warming ever so slowly from darkness, golden light breaks like a tender dawn over the set of "The Quality of LIfe," playwright Jane Anderson's sober, plaintive ode to loss, grief, and the faint glimmer of hope playing at HATTheatre as part of the Acts of Faith Festival." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Light design [for Race], by Michael Jarett and Cody Richardson, make the stage "office bright," yet almost a cold brightness. The window, in the set, is used brilliantly with lighting to show passage of time in the day. They create marvelous effects, seamlessly." - Nick Dauley, ShowBizRadio.com "Michael Jarett, VCU Dance's mastermind of lighting design, created a world of dark nightlife and full on disco for [Johnnie] Mercer's /house of adisa/. A single spotlight used during [Nikolai] McKenzie's lip sync was perfectly executed. Jarett's lighting expertly exaggerated the highs and lows of Mercer's search for personal identity." - Rebecca Ferrell, gayrva.com "Light[ing] design, by Michael Jarett, conveys the differences between camera rolling and not rolling beautifully, making the stage regularly lit while rolling and red or purple between scenes [in Taming of the Shrew]." - Nick Dauley, ShowBizRadio.com "Under Giant Trees was my favorite piece of the evening. Michael Jarett's stunning lighting design transformed the theatre space into a dark forest with hues of greens and blues... Closing the show was the greatly anticipated premiere of Nineteen43... Foster's dynamic and well-crafted choreography melted flawlessly with Robbie Kinter's exceptional soundtrack and another successful lighting design concept from Jarett. In one memorable section, the dancers shuffle horizontally across the stage hiding one another as lights flash on and off and train whistles blew. It is moments like this that the collaborative effort behind Nineteen43 really shines." - Rebecca Ferrell, gayrva.com "... Michael Jarett's lighting keeps the mood jovial by sticking to the warm side of the spectrum and brightening just slightly at each scene transition." - Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch "The Petersburg Area Art League's park, a freshly mowed urban plot, is as minimalist as [Twelfth Night's] set, which consists of 10 white panels and a chaise lounge, beautifully and subtlety lit (after dark) by Michael Jarett." - Julinda Lewis, Richmond Times-Dispatch "[Richmond Triangle Players'] night club like atmosphere, with little tables with flickering candles interspersed throughout the house actually enhance the feeling of being in the audience of La Cage [aux Folles]. D. Mark Souza's bright, colorful and glitzy costumes and Michael Jarett's vivacious and assorted hues of lighting further enhanced that feeling." - Bruce Levy, ShowBizRadio.com "Frank Foster's set quickly transitions between the couple's apartment and the nightclub scenes, and Michael Jarett's lighting design adds some extra pizzazz to the musical numbers [in La Cage aux Folles]." - Rich Griset, Style Weekly "Michael Jarett's lights are very good... La Cage aux Folles is a definite must see." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio, mondojohnny.blogspot.com "... the lighting [for La Cage aux Folles] adds visual appeal." - tvjerry.com "The Folan cottage is the set for the entire play, which consists of a dimly lit kitchen/living room combo that is slightly claustrophobic. The design of the set (by Tennessee Dixon) and lighting (by Michael Jarett) [for The Beauty Queen of Leenane] are perfect compliments to the feelings of entrapment all four characters express in one way or another." - Rebekah Closs, rvanews.com "Michael Jarett's lights add just the right touches to the production [of The Beauty Queen of Leenane]." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio, mondojohnny.blogspot.com "Both the lighting design by Michael Jarett and the sound design by James Ricks enhance several key moments [in The Beauty Queen of Leenane]." - David Timberline, Style Weekly "Tennessee Dixon's set [for The Beauty Queen of Leenane] is appropriately drab and bare, as you would expect their apartment to be. Sarah Jarrell Wade's costumes also add to the drabness and plain-ness of their lives, as does Michael Jarett's lighting." - Bruce Levy, ShowBizRadio.com "The technical aspects are effective [for The Beauty Queen of Leenane]." - tvjerry.com "Hannah Weber’s Falls of Color opens Program B. You Can’t Get There From Here, a painting by Daniela Campins, is projected in small sections during the dance... The dancers, dressed in white, looked liked moving canvases sweeping the stage. Intricate gestures mimicked paint strokes and Michael Jarett’s stunning lighting design beautifully accentuated the colors of the painting. As the hues shifted, the dancers themselves became individual pieces of art." - Rebecca Ferrell, gayrva.com "[Kate] Weare's "Murder Your Darlings"... takes off when unison bodies in purple silhouette sway to the chorus of "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" by James Brown... Christian von Howard presents "Tiny Sisters," a work focusing on thematic emotions of grief, guilt, and forgiveness. Michael Jarett and Weston Corey's set design complements the piece's religious setting with tightly strung ropes extending floor to ceiling behind the dancers. Jarett's lighting design also provides scenery in shafts of light made to be hallways of isolation for the dancers." - Ali Thibodeau, Richmond Times-Dispatch "The taupe costume pressed under the sterile light shows great juxtaposition against a bed of crisp green grass and serves all of the dancers as they transform through time and space... As [Unreachable Places] progresses through the seasons, the dancers find contentment in dim light and those left yearning for the light are left in the darkness. Michael Jarett's lighting design effectively shapes each scene with great detail while Starr Foster's choreography reveals beauty in life's internal conflicts with radiant intricacy and artful brilliance." - Ali Thibodeau, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Michael Jarett's lighting design hits the over-the-top tone so correctly it produces laughs entirely of its own [in The Musical of Musicals]. - Rich Griset, Style Weekly "Michael Jarett's lights are good - sometimes dark, sometimes flashy depending on the current composer [in The Musical of Musicals]." - John Porter, WCVE Public Radio, mondojohnny.blogspot.com "T. Ross Aitken's set design [for The Musical of Musicals] manages to morph fluidly through all five playlets, augmented mightily by Michael Jarett's quick-change lighting." - Susan Haubenstock, Richmond Times-Dispatch "A total theatrical experience that sets a new standard for contemporary theatrical dance in Richmond, Wake is an organic merger of choreography, music, lighting, costuming, visual arts and set design. At one point, the five dancers become part of a circular atmosphere... while discs of light rotate in a circular pattern on the floor. The effect is mesmerizing... Slides of Richmond artist Amie Oliver's paintings, from her series Heaven, Earth and Sea zoom in and out as if they were breathing." - Julinda Lewis, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Michael Jarett handsomely supports the evening with lighting keyed to the poetic intent of both works [of Triptych]." - Eva Yaa Asantewaa, "Discover the Von Howard Project", Infinite Body "Geometric patches of light by Michael Jarett constrain and intensify the final, on-stage action [in Triptych]." - Celia Ipiotis, Eye on the Arts "A special congratulations to the technical staff... Lighting was superbly designed by Michael Jarett [for Evening of Dance 2011]. - JoAnne Tucker, Author and Artist "The blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds later, in Act II, became a spectacular rose sunset... This was, without exaggeration, a marvelous production [of Pirates of Penzance]." - John Whittum and Charlie Bates, Steamboat Today "... only Michael Jarett, who creates an effortless and transporting lighting design for all the flashbacks and symbolic changes in [Refuge of Lies], seems fully in charge of his craft." - Aaron Riccio, New Theater Corps "Michael Jarett's superb lighting [for Fifth of July]... complete[s] the picture." - Amy Tagliaferri, Cape Cod Chronicle "Lighting, sets, costumes are all appropriately spartan, reflecting the just-getting-by-nature of the brothers' lives [in Topdog/Underdog]. An excellently conceived and produced play... " - Judith Shaw Beardsley, Cape Cod Times "Mike Jarett's final production [The Dream Project] as the BTC's lighting designer was illuminated by his masterful technical contributions... The frightening green cast over the stage during 'Monster Dream' evidenced his virtuosity." - Cassie Seinuk, The Justice "A back panel, on occasion dramatically illuminated by Michael Jarett, emphasizes the symbolism of Jerusalem's Via Dolorosa, not as a tourist attraction, but as an unbroken trail of suffering and the struggle for survival." - A CurtainUp Review by Elyse Sommer "[Beauty and the Beast] is beautifully lit by Michael Jarett." - Tony Annicone, What Happened in Boston Willie "... the [Two Orphans] set fits well with the bleakness of the play, accented wonderfully by the blue-heavy lighting... Jarett's lighting brilliantly highlights the despairing atmosphere, and the use of red light approaching the climax is a very effective touch." - Beck Holden, Brandeis Hoot "Michael Jarett's lighting beautifully enhances each scene [in Idols of the King]." - Joe Mauro, Biddeford Journal Tribune "... this nicely designed Fantasticks... " - Roy Proctor, Richmond Times-Dispatch "David McLain's simple set [for Fuddy Meers] fits hand in glove with Michael Jarett's lighting design, allowing the smooth transition of one scene to another via shadowy stop-action tableaux." - Cynthia McMullen, Richmond Times-Dispatch |