Jensen also drives the show in her own right. Mother undergoes a sea change of emotional realizations throughout Ragtime, which the actress underscores with subtlety and grace. Jensen also has a gorgeous voice, put to great use in the number “Back to Before”. Rare is the actress who can take a few minutes of standing still and alone on stage and turn it into a command performance.
Doug Strasser, offoffonline.com
Anna Lise Jensen as Mother is the anchor of the show. It is incredible to think that this production is her New York debut; instead, one would mark her as a Broadway veteran. Her acting was powerful and her voice equally so, the kind of talent that commands the stage and the kind of performer it is difficult to take your eyes off.
Georgina Young-Ellis, The Queens Gazette
Jensen, a stunning rehead, who hits all the right notes in scores like “What Kind of Woman” and “Back to Before”, exhibits a warm sophistication that makes her one of the production’s most captivating stars.
Tanisia Morris, Showbusinessweekly.com
With her stunning voice and elegant style, Jensen slowly and skillfully reveals the fragility behind Mother’s perfect mask.
Amy Krivohlavek, curtainup.com
Anna Lise Jensen brings not only her gorgeous soprano voice to Mother, but is extraordinaryas her character progresses from the starchy and dutiful wife of a rich businessman to a woman more alive to possibilities -- check out what happens to her at the end.
Arlene McKanic, Queens Village Times
Two performances rise above the rest... Jensen is blessed with a strong, clear voice and anexpressive face; her journey from yielding wife to an independent thinker with a social conscience is arresting.
Shari Perkins, Theatreonline.com
Another gut-wrenching, tear-jerking solo by beautiful Anna Lise Jensen as “Mother” underscores a night of intensity that reverberates through each musical soliloquy.
Cliff Kasden, The Queens Courier
[Jensen’s] 11-o’clock spot, “Back to Before”, however, is the production’s sole genuine showstopper.
