"Of the 22 with speaking roles there isn’t a bad performance and too many to single out individually but here are the names of just a few of those not already mentioned who created very memorable moments and characters across multiple plays; John Catron, Charity Jones, Melissa Maxwell, Lanise Antoine Shelley, and Eric Sharp most of whom local audiences will recognize. ."

       —The Stages of MN  

"There are no slouches when it comes to the actors' line readings but these two stand out alongside Charity Jones as John of Gaunt and Melissa Maxwell as the Duchess of Gloucester."

       —The Star Tribune 

"The six actors who occupy the stage are a dream team, each and every one sublime. ... Melissa Maxwell, also making a Guthrie debut after several impressive seasons at the Great River Shakespeare Festival, is deeply moving as M'Lynn...."

       —Talkin' Broadway  

"Maxwell lets us see into M’Lynn’s ways and worries, taking the edge off a therapist character who seemingly gives her daughter a reason to need therapy. ...this is a show that everyone should see, including men. “Magnolias” takes a viewer inside a place where women are themselves, empowered, witty and free. It’s a period piece, yes, with big hair and all, but it resonates in this moment in 21st-century America."   

—Star Tribune

"Melissa Maxwell (who can also be seen in Minnesota at the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona) and Nicole King make a believable mother/daughter team as M'Lynn and Shelby, with a palpable love (and sometimes frustration) between them."                                                                                                                                                                                           —Cherry and Spoon

"Her mother, M’Lynn (Melissa Maxwell), is also strong, opinionated, and fierce as a bear when it comes to her daughter. The mother-daughter dynamic between these two actors felt so real, like they were actually related. They know how to get under each other’s skin, to poke, to prod, to rile each other up, and to love with devotion."

—Play off the Page. 

"In typical Shakespeare fashion, several actors play multiple characters and Melissa Maxwell deserves masses of praise as the most elegant and stately of queens, then, in act two, disappears utterly into the poor woodsman and father Belarius."  

                                                                                         —Minnesota Theater Lover

"The king's second wife, a character we love to hate called only Queen - a deliciously wicked Melissa Maxwell - will stop at nothing to manipulate her husband on any number of matters."                         

                                                                                                  —Broadwayworld.com

"As his Queen, Melissa Maxwell is fully realized villain, her ambition driving her every act as she conspires to deceive her husband, the king. She does admirable as Belarius, the man who long ago kidnapped Cymbeline's two sons, now living secluded deep in the forest."                                                                                                                             —Talkin' Broadway

  —Talking Broadway

"...the one-actor performance by Melissa Maxwell is a singularly brilliant tour de force.... Some theatre experiences are unforgettable and Maxwell's performance in NO CHILD is firmly in this category." 

                                                                                                                                                       —Broadwayworld.com

"The real reason to go to this play is not to hear the well-worn message, but rather to experience the acting talent of Maxwell. It is something you don’t see every day."                                                                         

                                                                                                                —Winona Post

"Melissa deftly transforms herself from the old janitor to the teaching artist to an inexperienced teacher to a half dozen very different teenagers. It's spell-binding to watch her tell this story and infuse each character with distinct life and personality."                                                                                                                                                             —Cherry and Spoon

"No Child ... performed by the amazing Melissa Maxwell ....A gorgeous tour-de-force of an evocative and sometimes heartbreaking work."                                                                                                      —Minnesota Theater Lover