“Tender, funny and truthful, this is one of the best shows of the year...[Khomutova’s] performance is clear, deeply felt and intelligent. She’s an exquisite actor. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ”

“First Métis Man of Odesa is such compelling — and funny — storytelling. It’s charmingly performed, and exquisitely directed and produced. I hope The Cultch and Punctuate! Theatre can find pull quotes in those two sentences to use in their advertising because I want to help as many people as possible to see this show.”

“...First Métis Man of Odesa, directed by Lianna Makuch, grabs the audience’s attention and keeps them on the edge of their seats...Balancing on the edge of art and reality, Canadian playwright Matthew MacKenzie and the Ukrainian artist Mariya Khomutova...bring to the stage the story of their love, mixed with the bitterness of the COVID pandemic, the pain of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the obstacles of long-distance relationships. ”

“...a captivating swirl of comedy, romance, dreams and setbacks, the personal and the geo-political.”

“MacKenzie and Khomutova instantly charm the audience with their quick wit and obvious chemistry. ”