Playing roles from a telenovela star to a student at a magical school, here are the 2025 Orlando Sentinel honorees for best featured actor in a comedy, as selected by theater critic Matthew J. Palm.
Although it’s impossible for one person to see every local production, as the Orlando Sentinel’s theater critic, each year I see a broad array of dramas, comedies and musicals. The individuals selected for this 2025 theatrical honor roll, presented here alphabetically, elevated Central Florida’s theatrical arts. Go to OrlandoSentinel.com/entertainment to see the honorees in other categories, and check back on Dec. 22 to learn the Critic’s Pick in this category.
Angela Cotto, as Estrella in the Renaissance Theatre Company production of “Laughs in Spanish.” (Courtesy Jake Pearce via Renaissance Theatre)
Angela Cotto
‘Laughs in Spanish’ Renaissance Theatre Company
IN MARCH: Playing a dramatic, perceptive and opinionated actress, Angela Cotto gave her character the right amount of look-at-me pizazz to make her a star but not a clown. And she really delivered in an extended monologue about a fateful night at the Pollo Tropical.
Alexander Hehr, as Odell in the Theater West End production of “Sordid Lives.” (Courtesy Mike Kitaif via Theater West End)
Alexander Hehr
‘Sordid Lives’ Theater West End
IN APRIL: Alexander Hehr made a particularly strong impression in a show full of comedy, in two distinct roles. He was very funny both as an exasperating dimwitted teller of tales (who’s a dab hand at string tricks, too) and as a mush-mouthed minister.
Rose Lamarre, as Ruth in Theater West End’s production of “Calendar Girls.” (Courtesy Mike Kitaif via Theater West End)
Rose Lamarre
‘Calendar Girls’ Theater West End
IN JANUARY: In a gorgeously heartfelt performance, Rose Lamarre got everything right about her “Calendar Girls” character, a rule-following people pleaser who has been taken advantage of by everyone from her philandering husband to the women’s club leader. It was all there in the way her eyes dropped in shyness or self-doubt, in the quaver in her voice when she dared to step outside the lines she placed around herself and in the sense of freedom when she finally let loose.
Rose Lamarre, as Juanita in the Theater West End production of “Sordid Lives.” (Courtesy Mike Kitaif via Theater West End)
Rose Lamarre
‘Sordid Lives’ Theater West End
IN APRIL: Lamarre was back at it in “Sordid Lives” this time playing a drunk who tells a rambling story in fits and starts while also serving as an intoxicated Greek chorus. It takes precision timing to pull off a role like this, not to mention the uncanny ability to add to a scene without overpowering the other characters’ actions. Lamarre nailed it.
Krista Miller, left, as Lavonda in the Theater West End production of “Sordid Lives.” (Courtesy Mike Kitaif via Theater West End)
Krista Miller
‘Sordid Lives’ Theater West End
IN APRIL: Krista Miller added to the chaos of “Sordid Lives” with a freewheeling performance as audacious Lavonda. With a saucy grin, Miller was delightfully and raucously uninhibited, to great comic effect. Miller was also honored in this category in 2024, for playing Ouiser in Theater West End’s “Steel Magnolias.”
Alexander Mrazek, in the New Generation Theatrical production of “The Importance of Being Earnest.” (Courtesy New Generation Theatrical)
Alexander Mrazek
‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ New Generation Theatrical
IN APRIL: Alexander Mrazek put all his comic skills on view to play Lady Bracknell in “The Importance of Being Earnest.” With exquisite voice inflection, physicality and a keen understanding of the importance of a well-placed pause, Mrazek filled the good lady with indomitable fire and vinegar by Alexander Mrazek. This is Mrazek’s fifth appearance in the year-end theater honors. He was awarded a Critic’s Pick in 2023 for directing “Significant Other.”
Philip Nolen, in the Orlando Shakes production of “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” (Courtesy Tony Firriolo via Orlando Shakes)
Philip Nolen
‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ Orlando Shakes
IN OCTOBER: A grinning Philip Nolen was amiable to the nth degree, in “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” as always-a-step-behind Watson. And he demonstrated why he’s a pro at physical comedy: You might have been gasping for air yourself (from laughter) while watching him give CPR to a flopping-around lifesize dummy. This is Nolen’s fifth time in the theater honors.
Trevor Spence, as Oliver, in the Theatre South Playhouse production of “Puffs.” (Courtesy Angela Bond/Creativa Photography via Theatre South Playhouse)
Trevor Spence
‘Puffs’ Theatre South Playhouse
IN FEBRUARY: Trevor Spence elevated the role of comic sidekick in “Puffs,” making every aspect of his character lovable: His nerdiness, with mathematical prowess, his magical ineptness. He was so put-upon, and so funny in his reactions to it all. He was previously honored, in 2023, as a leading actor in a drama for The Ensemble Company’s production of “The Inheritance.”
Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/12/15/featured-actor-comedy-best-orlando-theater-2025/
