Reviews

30th Anniversary North America Tour MISS SAIGON

“Still, when you think on songs like “The Movie in My Mind,” it’s impossible to dismiss the power of the score and this cast. Bargirl Gigi’s (Christine Bunuan) haunting rendition of the ballad speaks to a reality where cruelty and hope are inseparable, and a yearning for a world where they are not. The number is only the second in the show, and Bunuan sets the bar by giving it heartbreaking impact.” ~ Catey Sullivan, Chicago Sun Times

 

“Yet another highlight from the night was Christine Bunuan’s (Gigi) solo in “Movie in My Mind.” Bunuan begins the song and got mid-song applause after her solo was over. She carries herself with such power, and her voice is glorious. Bunuan continued to catch my eye every time she was onstage.” ~ Anne Simendinger, Broadway World Cincinnati 

 

“Christine Bunuan gives Gigi a veneer of earthy stoicism, which buries most glimmers of hope, which is beautifully articulated in “The Movie in My Mind.” Given her performance, it’s hard not to wish Gigi’s story continued after the first few scenes.” ~ Joe Gfaller, St. Louis Limelight

 

“Christine Bunuan is tempting and clever as the glittering Gigi, her pointed interactions adding depth and humanity to a role that can easily be caricature. She’s no dummy and not easily dismissed, but she’s also supportive and emotionally invested in Kim’s relationship with Chris.” ~ Tina Farmer, KDHX

MR. DICKEN'S HAT at Northlight Theatre

“Beautiful Christine Bunuan… brings her comic genius and musical talent to several roles. She’s very funny as both fussy, social climber Lady Plume, as well as a detail-obsessed bobby, Constable Witslow.”  ~ Colin Douglas, Theatre in Chicago

 

“Christine Bunuan, playing at least five characters truly shows off her talent for comedy. She also proves that great things come in small packages.” ~ Alan Bresloff, Around the Town Chicago

 

“Bunuan, again showing major comic chops” ~ Karen Topham, Chicago Onstage

 

”Christine Bunuan as a bobby on the beat and society lady, among others, is a standout.“  ~ Kerry Reid, The Chicago Reader

AVENUE Q at Mercury Theater Chicago

“As Christmas Eve, the Japanese therapist with no “cry-ents,” Christine Bunuan deserves a Jeff (Award). Her Christmas Eve is easily my favorite (and I have seen both the Original Broadway cast, the replacement cast and the touring company productions of the show). Her rendition of “The More You Ruv Someone” is side-splitting and worth the price of your ticket alone.”  ~ Misha Davenport, Broadway World 

 

“…Christmas Eve (the show-stopping Christine Bunuan, a great comedian with a voice that can do anything) as the petite, wholly eccentric Japanese-American therapist who shares an apartment with her bearlike boyfriend, Brian (the endearing Sean Patrick Fawcett)…” ~ Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun Times

INTO THE WOODS at Paramount Theatre

“Jack’s Mother (Christine Bunuan, capturing the Sisyphean fatigue of endless work and endless debt with sharp humor and heroic dignity)” ~ Catey Sullivan, Sun-Times

 

“Jack also loves and obeys his dear, doting Mother (delectably portrayed by the always wonderful Christine Bunuan)” ~ Colin Douglas, Chicago Theater & Concert Reviews

 

“Christine Bunuan as Jack’s Mother is a petite dynamo of voice and energy, and when paired with Koski’s Jack, there is humor in their size differences.” ~ Regina Belt-Daniels , Shaw Local News Network

 

“Bunuan is hysterical. Koski is a big man and Bunuan is tiny, so the physical humor between the two is an absolute laugh-fest.”  ~ Rikki Lee Travolta 

 

“But a few absolutely exceptional standouts are Christine Bunuan as Jack’s mother. She’s definitely going for the comedy value, but she makes us look at this character again, when it’s often a throwaway in comparison to her son.” ~ Suzanne Magnuson, Splash Magazine

 

 “Even Jack’s put-upon mother (a powerful performance by the tiny Christine Bunuan making Jack himself seem like a Giant) is not one-note: she has her darkness too.” ~ Karen Topham, Chicago Onstage

HONEYMOON IN VEGAS at Marriott Theatre

“And in the crazily satirical Hawaii sequences, Christine Bunuan, a petite wild woman with a big voice and great comic flair, easily steals the stage as a faux tourist guide who tries every seduction trick in the book on Jack in “Friki-Friki.” ~ Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun Times

 

“Christine Bunuan nearly steals the show as Mahi, a Hawaiian escort-on-a-mission.” ~ Leanne Star,  Splash Magazine

 

“Another character actress deserving of special notice is Christine Bunuan, as the funny and fabulous Hawaiian tour guide who helps Jack find Betsy and Korman (yes, the story moves to Hawaii), but not without first trying desperately to make “Friki-Friki with Jack before delivering him to his destination.” ~ Kimberly Katz, Buzz Center Stage

THE MISTRESS CYCLE at Apple Tree Theatre

“Christine Bunuan gave such nuance to the character Ching that her song “One In A Line” is truly a highlight of the production.” ~ Chris Arnold, Chicago Critic

 

“…Christine Bunuan who captures the delicate, childlike nobility, and crushing final sorrow of Ching, a teenage concubine of 12th century China.” ~ Sara Burrows, Pioneer Press

 

“…and Christine Bunuan is a fragile flower with strong roots as Ching…I was most entranced by the performances of Armon, McMonagle and Bunuan.” ~ Philip Potempa, NWI Times

THE KIND AND I at Drury Lane Oakbrook

“Christine Bunuan departs the most from the usual formula in this play with her extremely warm and caring Lady Thiang, but it works incredibly well.  She may be the strongest person I’ve ever seen in this role.  She absolutely rules and you can see her loving hand ordering the King’s palace.  And she delivers on the best song in the show.” ~ Susan Magnuson, Splash Magazine

 

“When Lady Thiang (Christine Bunuan) …“Something Wonderful” and the lighter “Western People Funny” with poise and power” ~ Ed Tracy, Picks In Six

 

“Christine Bunuan plays Lady Thiang with grace and dignity. Her voice is pure.”  ~ Tina St. Angelo Wetzel, Broadway World

 

“Lovely, multitalented Chicago actress Christine Bunuan, … creates a beautiful and wise Lady Thiang. Her radiant voice makes her touching rendition of “Something Wonderful,” indeed, something wonderful.” ~ Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre & Concert Reviews

 

CHRISTMAS AT CHRISTINE'S at Silk Road Rising

“Bunuan offers up a cabaret-style pastiche of songs, snapshots, chit-chat and reflections about her favorite holiday.  Petite, buoyant and charismatic, Bunuan delivers a topnotch performance.  When she invites everyone to join her in “Silent Night,” she’s built such a strong bond with her audience that the response is immediate.  Hearing Silk Road Rising’s small theatre swell with voices, Bunuan is full of unexpected emotion – and so are we.” ~ Susan Lieberman, Picture This Post

 

“It’s her deceptively simple stories about life in theater or visiting her extended family in the Philippines that make this show a cut above your average holiday revue. It helps that Bunuan has a very likable, relaxed stage presence and a born raconteur’s ability to make even the most mundane tale riveting.” 

~ Jack Helbig, The Reader

JADE HEART at Chicago Dramastists

“In this dramatic piece, Jade McCullough, played to perfection by actress Christine Bunuan, questions whether she is Chinese, American, or Chinese-American. Through dreams and memories, Jade (who Bunuan manages to smoothly portray equally convincing as a young child, teen and college age) seeks to find out why she was denied the life she was born to, and how she can become fully herself.” ~ Philip Potempa, NWI Times

 

“Jade is played by the very tiny Christine Bunuan, who can appear to be a little girl or a grown woman with just her acting ability and her powerful energy on stage.” ~ Alan Bresloff, Steadystyle Chicago