“Fierce performances elevate masterpiece: August: Osage County…Introverted Ivy shields her personal life, and Karpen heartbreakingly expresses how disconnected she is from her sisters.”

- Lynn Venhaus, PopLifeSTL, August: Osage County at St. Louis Rep

“I felt like I'd finally seen a great old romantic comedy, on the order of His Girl Friday or The Philadelphia Story, for the very first time. ‘Where has this been all my life?’… English majors know of the battling Beatrice and Benedick: in this new telling, she's an independent, Hepburnian hoot in white slacks; … in the pure theater magic of this production… Claire Karpen's Beatrice and Stanton Nash's Benedick tear up the stage (and our expectations) under the erudite direction of Mr. Longworth.”

— Talkin’ Broadway, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING at St. Louis Shakes

“Claire Karpen and Stanton Nash, as Beatrice and Benedick, lead an engaging and skillful cast. Karpen infused Beatrice with a more contemporary feminism that doesn’t feel the least bit out of place applied to Shakespeare’s witty lines. We can practically hear her heart flip flop as she is won over by the thought of love, despite her protestations.”

— KDHX , MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING at St. Louis Shakes

“Nash and Karpen display their mastery of physical comedy ….the remarkable performances by Nash and Karpen encompass all the emotional complexity of this encounter.”

— HEC Media , MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING at St. Louis Shakes

“Each cast member excels in creating a strong, distinct persona that adds up to a sizzling ensemble. Energetic, frenetic Claire Karpen gives Veronica a lot of kick, amping up her role with abundant nerve and verve.”

— Bruce Apar, BroadwayWorld review of GOD OF CARNAGE

“Each character plays with the lives of people they loved. Normally, they would be unlikeable, but Dawson, Hollis, and Karpen totally get Pinter’s multi-faceted characters and are convincing in their roles. They balance being sympatico and being reserved, and they master Pinter’s ambiguities, tensions, and famous pauses.”

— Sherry Shameer Cohen, BroadwayWorld review of BETRAYAL

“Betrayal” is in the steadiest of hands. It crackles with possibility…Karpen mines the moments of stillness for all they’re worth, never more so than when Robert confronts her about the affair…it’s the production’s most powerful scene, as husband and wife make discoveries.

— Peter Kramer, review of BETRAYAL

“Melissa Ross’s Jack.... lands quite the emotional punch... Quincy Dunn-Baker and Claire Karpen, both pitch-perfect."

— New York Times, premiere of Jack by Melissa Ross (Critic’s Pick)

“The entire cast excels... Ms. Karpen has an earthy deadpan style that well suits her character’s frequent exclamations of disgust at her employer’s behavior.”

— New York Times, The Heir Apparent by David Ives

“As directed by Mimi O’Donnell, Quincy Dunn-Baker and Claire Karpen are funny, real, and devastating as a divorced couple with one last thing to share. "

— The New Yorker, premiere of Jack by Melissa Ross.

"...strong are Ms. Lowrance and Ms. Karpen, with easy fluidity and lived-in depths percolating behind their characters’ exteriors."

— New York Times, Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourn

“As Allie, Claire Karpen skillfully registers the frustrations and anxieties of her New York self as well as the optimism, the disappointments, and the triumphs of her back-to-Wisconsin self...this is a show filled with laugh-out-loud comedy, delightful characterizations, touching interpersonal moments, and social statements."

— Triangle Arts Review, premiere of Dairyland by Heidi Armbruster

“The cast is first-rate and thoroughly British in accent and manner…Karpen plays Emma, a character more expert than Jerry at hiding her thoughts. But she also allows us to see unspoken ideas in her face and gives her a nervousness that contradicts the calm she tries to project. She also becomes noticeably younger as the action moves back in time.”

— Pia Haas, BroadwayWorld review of BETRAYAL