Nancy/Mother in THE LAST CHRISTMAS TURKEY - Theatre Orangeville
"Oster's fine, operetta-like soprano is most impressive in the initial carol where she is the featured soloist"
-Christopher Hoile Stage-Door
"Welcome back to Leah Oster.. singing like an angel"
-Orangeville Citizen
Winifred Banks in MARY POPPINS - Western Canada Theatre and Persephone Theatre
“The production of Western Canada Theatre Company of Kamloops and Persephone Theatre has the look and feel of a big Broadway touring show.. If you like big musicals there’s nothing to fault here”
“Winifred (Leah Oster - wow, what a voice)”
- Cam Fuller Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Tate in THE LADIES FOURSOME - Upper Canada Playhouse
WORLD PREMIERE
“The show boasts a star-studded cast of veteran actresses with extensive careers at major theatres across the country… Leah Oster, (Tate), has performed with the Charlottetown and Stratford Festivals, Regina’s Globe theatre among others.”
- The Montrealer
“Tate (splendidly played by.. Leah Oster)… The Ladies foursome is an hilarious, touching, wonderful play about four pretty wonderful women.”
- The Morrisburg Leader
“The stellar cast includes: … Leah Oster, as Tate”
- Seaway News
“The acting is stellar, with.. Leah Oster as Tate”
- Liz Dadson The Kincardine Record
Sonia in THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG - Showboat Festival Theatre
“Starring Tyler Murree.. and Leah Oster.. Both actors displayed not only wide emotional range as they took on their roles, but also the vocal range necessary to perform this stage classic’s widely popular songs…
But most impressive and moving was Oster’s rendition of I Still Believe in Love, during which she held the Roselawn audience enthralled.”
- Angus Scott The Welland Tribune
Amiens in AS YOU LIKE IT - Citadel Theatre
“the lush voice of Leah Oster, who plays the jolly Amiens. She gives a jaw-dropping performance.”
- Anna Borowiecki St. Albert Gazette
“ Leah Oster (Amiens), a young soprano sang several numbers with vocal clarity and sweetness.”
- Anna Borowiecki St. Albert Gazette
Ingenue in BLUE CHAMPAGNE - Drayton Entertainment
“Blue Champagne.. featuring the vocals of some very fine singers…powerful in her sultry singing.. was Leah Oster, who made for a fine July Garland in Clang, Clang, Clang Went the Trolley.”
- Gail Martin Elmira Independent
“vocals of Blue Champagne wow audience.. The cast was a powerhouse.. it was the vocals and the chemistry of the cast on stage that brought the play together with such charisma. Blue Champagne was stunning.. from strong musical performances to the wonderfully choreographed dance numbers..The powerhouse cast’s vocals..were nothing but spectacular through the whole performance.”
- Becky De Bries Exeter Times-Advocate
“Some of the numbers are real crowd pleasers. ‘The Trolley Song’ featuring Leah Oster is a favourite.”
- Ken John Grant Grand Bend Strip
“A stellar cast features radiant performances by .. Leah Oster..”
- Mildmay Town Crier
“The featured performers in Blue Champagne include.. Leah Oster.. This powerhouse cast takes on the countless musical numbers with ease and confidence, proving just how extraordinary their vocals are. Standout ladies Marianne McCord, Leah Oster, and Stephanie Roth are truly in their element in this production. Their beautiful voices flawlessly carry out each song bringing each lyric to life and giving every song that extra pizzazz… Each cast member brings unique talent and incredible energy to the production, and when the company performs together as an ensemble, the result is electrifying.”
- Mildmay Town Crier
“the outstanding range of the five singers - ..Leah Oster.. - added immensely to the overall enjoyment of the music…they are often blown away by the three women in the production, most notably Roth and Oster.”
- Chris Daponte The Wellington Advertiser
Fiona in BRIGADOON - Drayton Entertainment
“Leah Oster, a young woman of exquisite voice gives Fiona MacLaren sweetness and warmth”
- Gary Smith Hamilton Spectator
“The cast was very strong.. Standouts include a lovely voiced Leah Oster as a sincere and natural Fiona”
- New Hamburg Independent
“The lass with a most beautiful soprano is Leah Oster, as Fiona MacLearan… Both actors are familiar on the Drayton Entertainment scene and their performances are both truly heartfelt and heady.”
- Marie Maie The Wellington Advertiser
Marian Paroo in THE MUSIC MAN - Stratford Festival
“The Music Man made me cry. It happened in the second act, when..Marian the librarian tells flam artist Harold Hill that she believes in him even though she knows he’s a charlatan and a fake… It’s easy to forget how many great songs came out of The Music Man, and they’re delivered with grace and energy by a consistently inspired cast. Start with the elegant way Oster delivers ’Till There Was You’ without overselling it and then try not to smile when the cast lights into old favorites like ‘Lida Rose.’”
- John Monaghan The Detroit News and Free Press
“In Leah Oster’s prim and suspicious Marian, the librarian, Hill’s flim-flam finds an appealing foil. No wonder the worldly wise salesman gets his foot caught in the door. Oster’s pure agile soprano makes one lovely moment after another of Wilson treasures like ‘Goodnight My Someone’ and ‘Till There Was You.’”
- Lawrence B. Johnson Detroit News
“..there has never been a more delightful and engaging production.. In short.. the casting could not be better.. Goad’s vocal skill is a good thing. He can hold his own with the gleaming tones of Leah Oster as his love interest, Marian the librarian. She, on the other hand, matches his outstanding talent as actor lending reality to the ups and downs of their romance. Truly, they make a perfect musical comedy pair.”
- Alex Suczek Grosse Pointe News (Michigan)
Four out of Four Stars
“I’m sold! You’d be missing out big time if you didn’t catch Susan H. Schulman’s fantastic, light- as-a-feather production of Meredith Willson’s 1957 musical… The Music Man is pure candy floss for the soul... the romantic leads, Goad and Oster’s performances.. simple approach sneaks up on you and plucks at your heartstrings”
- J. Kelly Nestruck The Globe and Mail
“Oster’s soaring voice"
- J. Kelly Nestruck The Globe and Mail
Four out of Four Stars
“This Music Man is Perfect… the happiest discovery in the whole production is Leah Oster, making her Stratford debut as Marian the librarian. With a clear, true voice, a wonderfully saucy sense of humour and unexpected reserves of deep feeling, she’s united with her director to give us a leading lady who provides a fresh new take on the the show and makes it even more endearing."
- Richard Ouzounian The Toronto Star
“Stratford this year brought us a very solid season with three total gems: a white-picket-fence fresh production of The Music Man with the charming Jonathan Goad and the fetching Leah Oster, a lavish Caesar and Cleopatra starring the inimitable Christopher Plummer and an unforgettable Krapp’s Last Tape, courtesy of that theatrical giant, Brian Dennehy.”
- Richard Ouzounian The Toronto Star
“Leah Oster, a talented young woman who has appeared in theatres across Ontario, as well as at the Charlottetown and Shaw festivals, will play Marian the Librarian opposite Goad. Her most recent local appearance was as Sarah Brown in Stage West’s Guys and Dolls.”
- Richard Ouzounian The Toronto Star
“The theatre gods were smiling on the Stratford Festival yesterday… one of the finest actors in the English-speaking world made certain his presence there next season.. Simon Callow, best known to North American audiences for his film work in Shakespeare in Love and Four Weddings and a Funeral… Stratford formalized the rest of the season’s cast.. Highlights include Christopher Plummer and Anika Noni Rose in Caesar and Cleopatra, and Brian Dennehy in All’s Well That Ends Well and a double bill of Hughie and Krapp’s Last Tape.. Jonathan Goad and Leah Oster in The Music Man.”
- Richard Ouzounian The Toronto Star
“the town’s prim librarian (a delightful Leah Oster)”
- Michael Kuchwara Associated Press
“The match with Ms. Oster.. is well made too. And it’s to the actress’s credit that she holds on to Marian’s iciness for as long as she does. Ms. Oster’s singing of ’Til There Was You’ is the cream on the pie.”
- Donal O’Connor The Beacon Herold
“the luminous jewel in the diadem of Schulman’s production is the performance of Leah Oster as Marian Paroo, the librarian. She conducts herself on stage with near entrancing elegance and dignity of bearing. Her singing is masterful, finely controlled, full-ranged and rich, even in the high register. ‘I was very happy to cast Leah Oster for her Stratford debut,’ Schulman enthused. It was indeed an astute decision.”
- Mordechai Ben-Dat The Canadian Jewish News
“The Music Man.. features a first-rate cast, led by a golden-voiced Leah Oster in a splendid performance as the town librarian who captures Harold’s heart.”
- Jamie Portman Canwest News Service
“Leah Oster is a warm-throated, good-hearted Marian”
- Chris Jones The Chicago Tribune
“Both Jonathan and Leah have that chemistry to make their performances seem so smooth that it appears the musical was written for them”
- Zyg Janecki CKWR
“it is the perfect production that is legendary. Susan Schulman’s direction is flawless…She makes the most of a perfect cast.”
“This is Stratford at its best. It has one of the finest acting ensembles in the world”
- Joe Garry and David Frazier The Currents News
“Leah Oster is a very good Marian, handling My White Knight beautifully”
- Mary Alderson The Grand Bend Strip
“And oh, the singing of Oster. ‘Goodnight My Someone’ and ‘Till There Was You’ get the classy treatment those gorgeous ballads deserve. The superb barbershop quartet singing ‘Lida Rose,’ followed by Oster’s bell-clear ‘Will I Ever Tell You,’ followed by the two sung together in counterpoint isn’t far behind [Christopher] Plummer and [Ben] Carlson as reasons to visit Stratford in the Fall.”
- Philip Dorian Heritage Newspapers
“Jonathan Goad scores as the music man while Leah Oster enchants musically as his wholesome redeeming love.”
- Bill Watt Toronto Free Press
Four out of Four stars
“Oster has a glorious singing voice”
- John Coulbourn London Free Press
“Marian Paroo (played to perfection by the charming Leah Oster)… A naturally gifted singer, Oster demonstrates why Till There Was You remains a number with timeless charms”
- Geoff Dale London Now
“Standouts are.. Leah Oster as Marian the Librarian whose gorgeous voice and acting gave me shivers.”
- Michael Englebert AM740
Five out of Five stars
“The two leads, Jonathan Goad, as the fast-talking rascal Harold Hill, and the crystal-voiced Leah Oster, as Marian, the small-town librarian who falls in love with him, are ideally cast. We want them to fall in love so they can sing duets happily ever after. Familiar songs like the romantic Till There Was You.. make this nostalgic Meredith Wilson classic thoroughly irresistible.”
- Pat Donnelly Montreal Gazette
“Leah Oster has the square-root of Marian in her, and her singing is radiant, especially in her near-aria My White Knight.”
-Robert Cushman The National Post
“As Marian the Librarian, Leah Oster offers both an endearing, proper femininity and a voice of warm tonal clarity”
- James Strecker The Hamilton Spectator
“Marian the Librarian is sweetly played by Leah Oster, whose voice swells to giddy heights on the beautiful ballads, like ‘Till There was You.’”
- Robyn Godfrey The Stratford Gazette
“Goad.. creates wonderful chemistry with Leah Oster as Marian, the librarian.. Oster allows Marian’s wit to emerge slowly from the depths of reserve. And she captures perfectly the conflict of being a sophisticate in a cultural backwater while yearning to be released from her isolation.”
- Robert Reid Waterloo Record
“Leah Oster, playing the leading role of Marian Paroo in The Music Man, is also venturing into this celebrated institution for the first time. But instead of fear, she finds the experience inspires confidence… The stellar acting company will [also] include Christopher Plummer, Martha Henry, Brian Dennehy, Trish Lindstrom, Simon Callow, Anika Noni Rose, Ben Carlson, Nikki M. James, Evan Builing, Yanna McIntosh and Bruce Dow.”
Richard Ouzounian The Toronto Star
“The 10 Best Shows of 2008.”
“The Music Man (Stratford): One of their loveliest musicals ever, an absolute valentine of a show, with Jonathan Goad and Leah Oster as the perfect couple.”
Richard Ouzounian The Toronto Star
"...a lot to like about this show, especially the down-to-earth performance by University of Windsor grad Leah Oster as Marian.”
- Ted Shaw The Windsor Star
“Leah Oster.. the sweet-voiced Marian”
- John Coulbourn The Toronto Sun
“[Chirstopher] Plummer generates star power as Stratford’s Caesar… Stratford’s long season ends in November, so there is time to catch some outstanding performances.. among the portraits still on stage to be savored are.. Leah Oster as a spirited Marian the librarian in The Music Man. [Christopher] Plummer may be the big gun at the Stratford Shakespeare Fesitval this year but he is acting in remarkably good company”
- Michael Kuchwara Associated Press
Sarah Brown in GUYS AND DOLLS - Stage West
“Leah Oster is more than a worthy opponent - one senses the sparks almost immediately. Oster’s singing range and tonal quality is terrific; she vocally steals the show.”
- Danny Gaisin Halton Artis Review
“Leah Oster is truly charming as Sarah Brown, the Salvation Army lass who falls for a gambler. With a sweet smile, a sweeter voice and a lovely sense of fun, she turns what can be a dullish character into a delightful one. And her songs clinch the deal. ‘I’ll Know’ is a passionate declaration of her high ideals in love and ‘If I Were A Bell’ is a feisty exploration of the lady’s libido while intoxicated. Ms. Oster is doing some very nice work."
- Richard Ouzounian The Toronto Star
“Leah Oster is Sarah Brown.. her voice has a sweetness that compliments the innocence of her character.”
- Tina Depko The Brampton Guardian
“Leah Oster as Sarah Brown shows off her silvery soprano in several songs..”
- Mark Andrew Lawrence The Mississauga News
Aunt Laura in EMILY - Talk is Free Theatre
“Leah Oster, as Laura, was stunning in the song Ace of Hearts.”
- Susan Doolan The Barrie Examiner
“Leah Oster’s dreamy Laura.. couldn’t be better”
- Gary Smith The Hamilton Spectator
Sarah Schorr in TRYING - Globe Theatre
“Leah Oster makes her Globe debut as Sarah… Kramer and Oster are disciplined.. and well prepared. ‘Leah is a sponge,’ Lenton-Young says. ‘When I’m giving notes it’s ‘tell me, tell me, tell me.’ She has wide-eyed enthusiasm.”
- Nick Miliokas The Leader Post
“The fires of her artistic passion already stoked by eight months at the Shaw Festival in Ontario plus two seasons at the Charlottetown Festival in Prince Edward Island, Oster is poised to make her stage debut here in Western Canada… the character (Sarah Schorr) a strong-willed, self-motivated, intelligent young woman, much like the actress herself… Oster went to the University of Windsor where she earned a bachelor of fine arts degree.. Oster is classically trained as a vocalist, and sings backup in The Pocket Co., a Toronto-based, seven-member pop group that is working on an album of original material and plans to release it early in the new year, in tandem with a DVD documentary on the band.”
- Nick Miliokas The Leader Post
“Kramer and Oster work well together in a play that is so beautifully written and so well constructed that the difficulty of the challenges it poses for the actors can be under-estimated. But, good actors make it look easy - and the actors in this production are very good. This play makes huge demands in terms of sheer stamina alone, as Kramer and Oster are on stage for virtually the entire two hours.. Kramer and Oster see to it that their characters are believable from start to finish.”
- Nick Miliokas The Leader Post
Maria in THE SOUND OF MUSIC - Port Hope Festival Theatre
“Leah Oster as Maria was excellent. She has a beautiful strong soprano voice and a good stage presence.. She made the part her own.”
- Alwyn Horscroft Port Hope Evening Guide
Soloist in OVER THE RAINBOW - Shaw Festival
“Leah Oster has a smile that must tap directly into the hydroelectric power of Niagara Falls and a crisp, sweet sound to her voice. Her ‘I’ve Got The World On A String’ was an eruption of pure joy”
- Richard Ouzounian The Toronto Star
Sister Robert Anne in NUNSENSE - Capitol Theatre
“Leah Oster has perhaps the strongest voice in the cast and her second act number, I Just Want to be a Star, is a highlight”
- Ted Shaw The Windsor Star
“Leah Oster is in fine voice..”
- Ted Shaw The Windsor Star