Articles
*click links below

‘Interest in ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ Renewed’
~Lori Gilbert of the Stockton Record - Stockton, CA (March 2009)

‘Where are they now: Trey Compton and Lara Hayhurst’
~Carly Noel of WPXI TV - Pittsburgh, PA (March 2008)

‘Beef and Boards DivaBlog!’
Lara blogged about the rehearsal and show process of High School Musical
for Beef and Boards, read on for some silly fun!


Reviews

As Kim MacAfee on the National Tour of Bye Bye Birdie “[the] ingénue lead, Kim MacAfee, is delightfully played by Lara Hayhurst.” ~Anne Chlovechok, The Daily Jeffersonian "Kim MacAfee [is] superlatively played with apple-cheeked innocence by Lara Hayhurst." ~Ken Gousseau, The Medicine Hat News "Lara Hayhurst, the lucky girl who gets "one last kiss" from Birdie was in complete control of her powerful voice." ~Lorna London Sloukji, BellaOnline, Mississauga, Ontario As Clara in The Light in the Piazza “her sweet face, figure, and demeanor...amazingly gorgeous vocals emanate effortlessly from Ms. Hayhurst” ~Susan Myrill Dougherty, The Westfield Times As Sharpay in Beef and Boards’ Production of High School Musical “In the villainous role of Sharpay Evans, Lara Hayhurst shines. Hayhurst never falters in making her intentions clear; she goes for the comedic jugular as she plays to the extremes of her character (annoying, spiteful, conniving, motivated, spoiled). Hayhurst keeps the show moving, and can feel confident that she has achieved her goals.” ~Katelyn Coyne, funcityfinder.com “Hayhurst and (J Tyler) Whitmer take full advantage of scene-stealing roles, working simultaneously as villains and comic relief.” ~John Belden, East of Indy “The cast brings a freshness and energy to the show that's infectious, and over-the-top drama queen Hayhurst provides comic relief.” ~Melissa Hall, StageWrite “Lara Hayhurst, who plays the villainous Sharpay, gives a strong performance. For those of you who remember the television sitcom The Facts of Life, you’ll find yourself thinking of the character Blair Warner. Lara is a dead ringer.” ~Shari Scales Finnell, Indianapolis Woman As Liesl Von Trapp in Beef and Boards’ production of The Sound of Music “[I] especially admired Lara Hayhurst, who plays the oldest daughter, Liesl…Good singer, good dancer, and a good actress.  She is just darling! [I] laughed in delight at Liesl’s “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” duet with … Rolf Gruber (J. Tyler Whitmer).” ~Hope Baugh, IndyTheatreHabit.com As Violet Karl in The Theater Barn’s production of Violet “The performances are sincere, touching, and genuine. Lara Hayhurst is lovable as the feisty but damaged Violet. Hayhurst’s performance is the reason to love Violet- the show and the person.” ~Bob Goepfert, The Troy Record “[Hayhurst’s] pronunciation is so precise, her acting so believable, and her musicality so faultless, that even when her voice seems small, you can still understand her perfectly. Violet’s songs grow out of the dramatic moment, thanks to Hayhurst’s artistry.” ~Paul Lamar, The Schenectady Daily Gazette “[Hayhurst], who uses no stage makeup to suggest a scar, seems far too pretty to be convincingly scarred. By the time the first act is over, however, the audience gets it. She’s playing someone who is emotionally as well as physically scarred...Hayhurst is both vulnerable and single-minded in the title role, and she has a fine singing voice.” ~Bruce G. Hallenbeck, The Independent As Laurey Williams in The Fort Salem Theater’s production of Oklahoma! “Both [Trey] Compton and Hayhurst appear very much at home in their roles…Every minute, they breathe new life into this musical…When they join their beautiful voices in “People Will Say We’re In Love,” you will fall in love with them…Beauty abounds, especially with Laurey’s “Many a New Day.” ~Bob Rose, The Post-Star As Hope Cladwell in The Theater Barn’s production of Urinetown: The Musical “Hayhurst is just plain dazzling as the hopelessly hopeful Hope.” ~Gail M. Burns, The Chatham Courier “Hope is deliciously played by Lara Hayhurst, making her first appearance at Theater Barn. She is a Judy Holliday/Carol Lombard-type comedienne with platinum hair and a sweet, light, singing voice, but her performance is nonetheless large, wild and wonderful.” ~Charles Kondak, The Independent “Hope Cladwell is played by the lovely Lara Hayhurst in a performance tender and comic. She manages to make her love-song moments as real as her fear when she is about to be "snuffed" by her captors. She and [Eric] Richardson are very moving together in their almost-love duet. ~J.Peter Bergman, berkshrebrightfocus.com