"Von Essen carefully toes the line of Tony's emerging maturity, as the ambitious young man ready to leave gang life but destined for tragedy. He shows a confident commitment to the role and brings a youthful yet solid voice." - Ann Miner, TalkingBroadway.com

"Taking top vocal honors is the Tony of Max von Essen, who has only to open his heart in "Something's Coming" to lift ours." - Christopher Rawson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"(Von Essen) is playing Tony in this new Pittsburgh CLO production and he is, without question, the strongest Tony I've ever seen: a thrilling voice and the ability to make Tony's unearned, enthusiastic optimism believable." - Ted Hoover, Pittsburgh City Paper