“As the goddess warrior “Star”, Aléna Watters was incredible. She was a powerful presence and carried the weight of Cher’s past selves on her shoulders gracefully. She masterfully captured Cher’s voice and mannerisms—from her bouncing walk to the shape of her mouth when she spoke. Her second act solo, “The Way of Love”, brought down the house.”
-Alana Brooks (The Theatre Guide)
“Aléna Watters as Star, the mature warrior/goddess incarnation of Cher, takes us through the 1980s and 90s, reminiscing about her life and career choices, and willingly shares her down-to-earth wisdom with the audience as if they are her new BFFs. […] Ms. Watters’s show stopping rendition of “The Way of Love” was a memorable moment in musical theater.”
-Cindi Sansone-Braff (Smithtown Matters)
“As the fairy godmother, Marie, Aléna Watters is a lot of fun as she morphs from the village crazy lady into Ella’s salvation. She’s depicted as an Earth mother of sorts, with flowing clothes and a firm command able to convince Ella it’s really happening.”
-Alex Miller (Onstage Colorado)
“Special kudos to Aléna Watters for her role as the Fairy Godmother who makes the magic happen. She pulls off quick changes and changing mice into footmen in the blink of an eye. Her voice is magnificent and her personality sparkling. ”
-Beki Pineda (Front Row Center Denver)
“A perfect example is the fairy godmother, played in the show by Aléna Watters. In the classic version, the character appears magically in the story but in this version audiences get to meet her earlier as a beggar woman who eventually transforms into the fairy godmother.
“I’m approaching her with some silliness,” Watters explained. “Because our costume design is not the traditional ballgown, the godmother has so much more silly playfulness to her that we get to transform into some elegance. She’s a bit more eccentric, zany and playful.””
Clarke Reader (Colorado Community Media)
“Aléna Watters is [the] sultry vaudevillian Velma Kelly. Watters’ dancing and singing are stellar. She has those long Broadway dancing legs, and she moves quickly to every step while singing without missing a beat, a breath, or a note. She makes her hard work look entirely effortless.”
— Naima Dawson (Perform Ink)
"Aléna Watters opens the show as murderess veteran Kelly, looking like a sexy Rockette and riveting the audience with her “Sheba shimmy shake…and all that jazz.” She then dazzles with a curt, streetwise persona, the perfect foil to newbie murderess Roxie Hart’s innocent narcissism.”
— Barry Reszel (Chicagoland Musical Theatre)
“Watters, meanwhile, paints a darkly funny portrait of iced resilience, allowing a few fissures in her resolve to crack her surface, just enough to play along the show's fault line, which is the truth that while Cook County juries were more likely to lust over women accused of crimes of passion than send them swinging from the gallows, there was always the sobering possibility of a first time."
— Chris Jones (Chicago Tribune)
"Bearing more than a passing resemblance to the original "Chicago" Velma Kelly of Chita Rivera, Aléna Watters gets things off to a rousing start with a commanding take on "All That Jazz." Watters doesn't let up, even in the face of her upstart redheaded rival -- the kewpie doll-voiced schemer Roxie Hart…”
— Scott C. Morgan (Chicago Daily Herald)
"Watters astounds us with her jazz stylings and our focus is drawn to her cunningness every time she’s onstage."
— Alexis Bugajski (Picture This Post)
"Alena Watters […] owns this production as Velma Kelly. Sexuality oozes from her in every song, beginning with one of Broadway’s greatest opening numbers, “All That Jazz.” [Aléna Watters & Kelly Felthous both] have golden pipes and do Fosse proud as dancers…”
— Colin Douglas (Chicago Theatre Review)
“The sinewy Ms. Watters is positively cat-like as she springs into Broadway veteran Jane Lanier’s sultry choreography as if she were born to own the limelight."
— Tom Williams (Chicago Critic)
“Watters' sensual Anita was the standout performer here […] She's completely comfortable in the role and brings the story to life, especially in her performance of "America."“
— Lauren Steussy (SiLive)
“[T]he show's two outstanding performances belong to Ortiz as Maria and Aléna Watters as Anita. Ortiz's voice is something out of the heavens…[w]hen she delivers the moving Maria-Anita duet, "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love," alongside the dulcet-voiced Watters, eyes fill with tears. Both are talents to watch for.”
— Pete Hempstead (TheatreMania)
“As Anita, a queenly Aléna Watters makes the most physically stunning impression, and has a powerful alto to match.”
— Jon Sobel (BlogCritics)
“Superb talent delivered in every role. Our next villain is Medoza (Aléna Watters) who dreams of putting Sleeping Beauty away in the tower forever. Watters also delivers a stunning performance as Snow White and a singing elf. “
— Camille Washington (Front Row Reviewers Utah)
“Each of the seven actors portray at least two characters – most of them good and evil […] a marvel to watch. Credit [the] cast members [Demone,] Jordan Aragon, Matt Ban, Jennifer Byrne, Courtney Capek, Hannah Record and Aléna Watters for not only handling with aplomb their relentless character changes but rarely missing a note on the up-tempo, melodic musical numbers. “
— Bruce Bennett (St. George News)
“The acting and singing is top-notch. […] Aléna Watters gives us the Maleficent-like Medoza and Snow White, while also proving to be the most memorable of the singing elves, thanks to a hilarious, cartoonish accent.”
— Brian Passey (Theatre Review)
“Aléna Watters is fantastic as the cloak and dagger informant who is never without over-sized sunglasses, head scarf and thick accent..”
— Aviva Woolf (Stage Buddy)
“Aléna Watters’s rendition of Warren’s “If I Could Turn Back Time” thoroughly entranced the crowd and her performance was perfect. Cher had the original in 19[8]9, but Watters’s soared with this one.”
— G.H. Harding (Times Square Chronicle)