Reviews
Joe Baer is an avid fan of history and enjoys the character development process of acting. Through researching his characters thru biographies, autobiographies, visiting historic sites and of course, reading their work, his goal is to provide a vivid character that will entertain his audience.
“I don’t try to impersonate but rather create a character based on what I’ve learned about them. For instance, a Mark Twain lecture in the late 1800s would be very different from what I do. The audience of that time had very different expectations from an audience today. I try to create characters that speak to a 21st century audience.” —Joe Baer
“Joe Baer’s performance of Samuel Clemens: Tales of Mark Twain brought history and literature to life in a way that truly resonated with our guests. His thoughtful portrayal reflected the very spirit of Great Camp Sagamore, where history, nature, and community meet.”
— Cari Ray, Senior Director of Programs & Operations, Great Camp Sagamore. www.sagamore.org
“The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” The words are those of Mark Twain, né Samuel Clemens, and the philosophy gets a healthy workout in Samuel Clemens: Tales of Mark Twain, Joe Baer’s one-man retrospective of the life and works—but mostly the life—of America’s great author. Baer loves his subject, and he works up a worthy retelling of Clemens’s life and times. He might have labored harder to carry them into a modern perspective, but it’s still a pleasant, leisurely ride. https://www.offoffonline.com/offoffonline/2023/5/8/samuel-clemens-tales-of-mark-twain
Samuel Clemens: Tales of Mark Twain (2019)
“From the moment Baer walks into the room, in Twain’s traditional white suit and sporting a mop of unruly white hair, the audience can fairly easily suspend belief and imagine themselves in the presence of the great man.”
—Jim Donnick, Northern Dutchess News & Creative Living
Clarence Darrow (2015)
“Rhinecliff resident Joe Baer is bringing Clarence Darrow back to life. Baer already certainly knows his way around a stage.”
—Robert Rubsam, Columbia-Greene Media – River Chronicle
Camelot (2013)
“Joe Baer, playing Merlyn, opens the show and sets the stage with a taste of the enchantment to come.”
—Jim Donnick, Northern Dutchess News & Creative Living
Vince Durango: Just Having fun (2012)
“Baer has assembled a patchwork of songs, poetry and stories for his fictional character, Vince Durango, to stroll humorously through life. Vince’s unpredictable manner is evident in everything he does.”
—Jean Saniewski, Show-goer
Vince Durango: Just For Fun (2011)
“Baer’s pace and timing is perfection. It is not easy to make a series of short skits seem nonchalant. What he gave us was an evening of wonderously crafted wit.”
—Cynthia Owen Philip, Journalist
