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Gypsy
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"Woods is adorable as the aging June, desperately clinging to her "child star" status with hilarious girlish giggles and "whoopees!" as she sings and dances a kiddie number she outgrew years before." - North County Times
"June (Helena Marie Woods, a fine young talent still in high school), is cute, blonde and fearless, and tagged by mama as a likely star-to-be." SDLGA.org
"Ms. Woods, a high school student, is talented, perhaps more talented than June is intended to be" -San Diego Arts
"June is played by Helena Marie Woods, a seasoned 17-year-old singer/dancer who also lives in San Diego. Woods captures June’s demands without being annoyingly cloying and ditzy, sublimating her own extraordinary competence to appear incompetent." -San Diego Uptown News
"Helena Marie Woods earned her laughs as the screeching ingénue Baby June." -San Diego Union Tribune
"Helena Marie Woods serves double-duty as June, the older sister to Louise: because the cast is trimmed down, she must play both nine-year old “Baby” June and the older “Dainty” June. A bit of a stretch, but Woods handles both the child star of the overly-cutesy Vaudeville routines and the frustrated teenager well, thoroughly engaging us with her entertaining schtick." -Stage and Cinema
"Woods has cookie-cutter June down." -www.wordsarenotenough.info
Edinburgh Fringe - All Shook Up
All Shook Up – a Broadway hit musical – is a melding of elements from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night with 24 Elvis Presley songs and it is clear from the fun and wit in the well-written script why it should be so popular. Even more importantly here, this American Festival production from El Camino, is itself rather delightful.
The tale involves the affect of an attractive Elvis-like ‘roustabout’ on a small town, challenging rigid laws imposed on relationships and entertainment. There are stock comic characters and a lot of unrequited love situations that involve misunderstandings, gender disguises and some moments of genuine pathos within all the comedy. The script cleverly uses Shakespeare’s incidents and sometimes assigns the modern equivalent of his lines to character’s other than the obvious ones, as when Dennis the future dentist speaks of ‘one that might love you’ to his love, Natalie the mechanic (well-played and sung by Helena Marie Woods), when she is in fact the equivalent of the character, Viola, that originally has this speech in Twelfth Night. Oh, and she is – of course – in love with someone else, and disguised as a boy. Naturally. The characters move the action on well,characters are clearly portrayed and entertaining.
There is plenty of effort, energy, spark and dynamism, with some fine natural voices and strong comic timing skills as well.
By Danielle Farrow
http://www.edinburghspotlight.com/2011/08/fringe-review-all-shook-up/
Young Star Makes Her Performing Dreams Come True
All Shook Up Theatrical Review
El Camino High has more than their fair share of talented actors and singers. Leading the way is the crazy-talented sophomore Helena Marie Woods featuring tremendous vocal and comedic skills as Natalie/Ed with
a hilarious One Night with You as she ogles new guy Chad, getting herself so worked up during Follow That Dream that she has to cool herself off with an air compressor, leading the Gals in demanding A Little Less Conversation, and knocking Brand New Fool out of the park. Based on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, she woos Chad disguised as “Ed,” becoming best buddies with him before Chad starts becoming uncomfortably attracted to him/her, and Wayne Higgs is a hit as he coolly cruises through Roustabout, leads such headliners as Jailhouse Rock and All Shook Up, and gets very shaken up when he finds himself falling for “Ed” with some amusing soul searching in I Don’t Want To.
Read More: http://www.nationalyouththeatre.com/reviews/reviews_elcamino_allshookup.asp
"Little Shop of Horrors" Theatrical Review
"First, Helena Woods, who portrays Audrey with such a convincing mastery that the audience is unable to decide if indeed she doesn't actually identify with this character personally. Add to this fact that this little lady has a knock-out voice, and I am certain that she will only be stopped in the world of theatrical arts by her own decisions. I truly hope that Helena continues to work with powerful mentors like director Allisan Whitman, and also that she has dynamic guidance from loving parents to help protect her from the machine that is Hollywood."
Read more
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5881932/little_shop_of_horrors_...
"The lead roles were played excellently. The female lead was absolutely charming. This petite girl appeared so large and commanding on state. Her voice is fantastic while her acting ability projects her character to the audience."
-M.Seller
"Helena Woods is a riot, but also vulnerable, as Audrey, delivering amazing use of voice and a great Somewhere That’s Green"
-Robert Hopper
Young singer with bright future makes opera debut
Helena Marie Woods is 15, but she's already come a long way from those early years when a performer takes any role she can get.
"I started out playing farm animals," Helena said of an acting career that began at age 8. "I played the skunk or the donkey."
Today, Helena enjoys a choral singing role in the classic "La Boheme," playing through Feb. 7 at the Civic Theater in downtown San Diego and opening the San Diego Opera season. This follows more than 20 roles for the versatile and talented El Camino High School sophomore.
Helena Marie Woods wins 'North County Idol'
Helena Marie Woods of Oceanside recently won the title of "North County Idol" and a $1,000 prize from the North County Cobra semi-pro football team.
More than 60 students from San Diego High Schools competed for the chance to win scholarships and attend NHSMTA at the 2010 Globe Honors held in May. The talented teens acted and sang their way through a series of auditions, semi finals and finals. Each winner won a scholarship to help further their training.