Andrew R. Cohen
PRESS
"Psychological Spaces, #Metoo, And “The Crucible:” A Conversation With Set Designer Andrew R. Cohen"
-Michael Schweikardt, The Theatre Times
LEND ME A SOPRANO - Olney Theatre
“Lend Me a Soprano” does at least look awfully swell. Andrew R. Cohen’s stunner of a hotel-suite set, done up in a sumptuous cream-and-gold style that might be called late ostentatious, makes plenty of space for all the tomfoolery". – Tray Graham, the Washington Post
"Holdridge brings a breezy style to Ludwig’s revised play, keeping the action and dialogue crackling along at a brisk pace while allowing large, comedic moments to shine on the magnificent set designed by Andrew Cohen, evoking a grand hotel from the Belle Époque, filled with all the doors requisite for characters to hide in a slam for good measure." - Jeffery Walker, DC Metro Arts
"Remember that “Wow” from the introduction? That is primarily (but not only) due to this production’s design elements. Upon entering Olney’s mainstage, I was captivated by Andrew R. Cohen’s beautifully elaborate set of a 1930s upscale hotel suite. From the ornate crown molding, to the glistening chandeliers, to the lavish burgundy and gold furniture, to the grand windows with a picturesque view of the Terminal Tower, this two-room suite was the definition of opulence." - Unprofessional Opinion
THE SEARER - Round House Theatre
"Andrew R. Cohen designed the pitch-perfect set: a messy living room
where water-damaged wallpaper speaks of cash-flow problems and
domestic inertia. Kenny Neal’s wuthering-wind sound design hints at
the wider world and mystical stakes.." – Celia Wren, the Washington Post
"Andrew R. Cohen's splendidly seedy set--paint peels from the ceiling, bulbs
are burnt out in the chandelier, duct tape keeps the sofa pillows together--suits these characters and their empty and conflict-clotted lives perfectly. Even the picture on the wall of Jesus is illuminated by a dodgy light.."
– Mary Lincer, Broadway World
"Scenic Designer Andrew R. Cohen’s splendid set could rightfully be called a
sixth character in the play for all it tells us about Richard and Sharky’s
dissipated lives. Peeling paint cascades from the Harkin home’s ceiling and
walls. Richard sinks into a worn-out easy chair covered by homely knitted
blankets. Sharky half-heartedly tends an anemic fire that will never warm
anything. The walls sport homages to both pub life and the Virgin Mary. A
desultory Christmas tree leans into a forgotten corner. The brothers could noteven bother to place it in a proper stand..." – Amy Kotkin, DC Metro Arts
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE; A RADIO PLAY - Studio Tenn
"And, oh, what a gorgeous venue has been created by scenic designer Andrew Cohen inside The Factory at Franklin's Jamison Hall: it's an eye-poppingly gorgeous Art Deco-inspired radio studio of the late 1940s, with the snow-laden streets of downtown Franklin framed by an expansive picture window as the story unfolds. Beautifully and atmospherically illuminated by Darren Levin's lighting design, Studio Tenn's It's A Wonderful Life is a visually stunning masterpiece of theatrical art.". – Jeffery Ellis, Broadway World
KING JOHN - Folger Theatre
"The set is simple and sparse; scenic designer Andrew Cohen suspends a crown above a throne, a wonderful touch emphasizing the struggle for the English crown." – Abis Shah, Washington City Paper
"The design elements are potent and spare. Set, lights, sound, and costumes all exhibit a subtle and deft touch; there is nothing fussy or extraneous. The centerpiece of Andrew Cohen's scenic design is a simple hewn wooden throne sitting on a slightly elevated wooden platform. Cohen works with the Folger's traditional Elizabethan theater, leaving most unobscured. Benches surround the stage's pillars. Walls appear to be patched and layered plaster. Floating above it all like a chandelier is a giant metal crown, askew" – Pamela Roberts , Broadway World
MARIE AND ROSETTA - Mosaic Theater Co.
"The show imagines them getting to know each other temperamentally and musically as they rehearse in a funeral parlor (Andrew R. Cohen’s low-ceilinged set in the Atlas Performing Arts Center is excellent)". – Nelson Pressly, the Washington Post
"In regards to the set, Andrew R. Cohen carefully balanced out the liveliness of the characters with the eerie, uncomfortable feeling a funeral home stirs up. The stage showcase a mixture of a funeral parlor, storage closet and coffin display room. That gut-wrenching, heartbreaking feeling Cohen achieved in the set only grew deeper once Jonathan Alexander cut the dim lights to one soft spotlight towards the end of the show".- Katie Gaab, MD Theatre Guide
Set Designer Andrew R. Cohen has made the space opulently somber, with three caskets upstage. But an upright piano promises uplift for the living soon as Marie and Rosetta get their hands on the keys. - John Stoltenberg DC Metro Arts
CHARLOTTE'S WEB - Imagination Stage
"The set, costumes, lighting, and sound design are expertly curated. Upon entering the theater, the commanding presence of the barn door – crafted by Andrew Cohen (Scenic Designer) and his team from plywood – grabbed my attention. It’s beautifully painted in different hues of brown to match the floor of the thrust stage that displays the barn’s interior. Hidden behind the barn door is the play’s magnum opus, an intricately designed web made from steel and meticulously welded together to serve as Charlotte’s home and the crux of the story’s action". - Sherrita Wilkins, DC Metro Arts
"The design and the staging are ingenious, appropriately magical, and build to a satisfyingly poignant ending. (Relax; no spoilers!)Andrew Cohen’s set provides a striking reveal of the titular web, as well as of Charlotte’s writings. As lit by Sarah Tundermann, this is a rich visual production". -Christopher Henley, DC Theatre Scene
THE CRUCIBLE - Olney Theatre
"The first thing the audience sees on entering Olney Theatre Center’s main stage for Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a network of variously angled, sheared off, red boards of different lengths across the length and breadth of the proscenium, Scenic Designer Andrew Cohen’s vivid visual metaphor for the brokenness of Salem, Massachusetts, in the late 17th century."
– Bob Ashby, DC Metro Arts
"The show looks like 1692 before intermission, but Andrew R. Cohen’s set gets a modern edge for the second half, with the court and jail scenes unfolding in front of tall glass walls and under fluorescent lights. It works: The look isn’t jarring, and the characters remain in Sarah Cubbage’s late-17th-century costumes.
– Nelson Pressly, The Washington Post
A YEAR WITH FROG & TOAD - Imagination Stage
"The set design by Andrew Cohen is exemplary- for those who have not yet visited Imagination Stage, now’s the time to go; I’d be hard pressed to envision a better use of their thrust stage. With its faux bronze frog footlights (so darn cute!), lights framed by lace umbrellas to mimic flowers, and wonderfully painted blue floor with lilypads scattered about, it’s a cheery homage to vaudeville as seen through the eyes of its aquatic inhabitants." - Jill Kyle-Keith, DC Theatre Scene
"Andrew Cohen’s set design is superlative. Part story-book, part fairy-tale, part vaudeville, part impressionist art – all magnificent – it is flawlessly unified and integrated, ornamented with re-purposed umbrellas as well as frog footlights. Perhaps the best critique I can offer, though, comes from a young audience member sitting next to me, who, gasping as curtains opened to reveal falling snow, exclaimed admiringly “what is that? actual snow?” There is not just theatre-magic here, but real magic." - Chris Williams, MD Theatre Guide
DARIUS & TWIG - the Kennedy Center T.Y.A
"The production team is lead by set designer Andrew Cohen whose visually dazzling set invokes a paradoxical array of oppressiveness and hope, from its somewhat crowded floor space to its wide open urban sky in the background." - Robert Michael Oliver, DC Metro Theater Arts
"The set by Andrew Cohen is an urban montage... all against blue sky breaking through. Overhead was spray-painted “One person can only do so much”—with the word “only” crossed out. That edited legend is a tip-off that there is a pedagogy at play in this play. Its inspirational messaging is intrinsic to every scene" - John Stoltenberg, DC Metro Theater Arts
"Set designer Andrew Cohen’s colorful backdrop frames the action with a bright, dreamy ambiance, which allows Darius’ flowing, storybook narration to take flight."- Ben Demers, DC Theatre Scene
MURDERBALLAD - Studio Theatre
HELEN HAYES AWARD NOMINATION FOR OUTSTANDING SCENIC DESIGN 2016
"All of this atmosphere as designed by production designer Brian Macdevitt and set director Andrew Cohen with atmospheric lighting by Andrew Cissna leads you... for a one of a kind experience" - Elliot Lanes, MD Theatre Guide
"... trek up the stairs to a rowdy bar on the fourth floor, because that’s where the action — um, make that the musical — is.
The theater crowd gets to slum it in a faux dive bar for “Murder Ballad,”... It’s a good setting for a sketchy musical...
Cool hangout.." - Nelson Pressley, The Washington Post
"Gawd! Such a laid-back happy smile must have appeared on my face after I walked through the beaded curtain to find a place to sit, just as I used to do, sitting in the back, observing and taking in the smoke, beer, drugs and rock-and-roll.It was Heaven." - David Siegel, DC Metro Theater Arts
"The hippest new bar on 14th Street" - Doug Rule, Metro Weekly
BROKEN GLASS - Theater J
"Directed by Aaron Posner with precise attention to each pulse beat, given impeccably persuasive performances by its cast of six, and featuring some of the most powerful set and projection design in town (by Andrew Cohen and Mark Costello, respectively), Theater J’s Broken Glass shines a brilliant light that lets us see clearly into the fragile and shattered marriage at its center." - John Stoltenberg, DC Metro Theater Arts
