”Impressive at Carnegie Hall”

”The most daring expedition of the evening was Olivia Stevens’s performance of songs made known by Swedish singer Zara Leander, who during the Nazi regime in Germany snuggled up to the Nazi bigwigs, with her songs broadcast to Allied troops. As a woman of Jewish origins, Stevens nevertheless has the nerve to explore and imitate the one-time star, and with her sultry voice, she puts on an impressive show. 

William Wolf, New York Calling, ABOUT TOWN

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”It takes more than guts for a performer of Jewish origin – and whose grandparents were Holocaust survivors – to reenact in musical and dramatic fashion the story of Sweden’s movie star, Zarah Leander, Hitler’s favorite singer. It actually takes a tremendous acting and singing talent and versatility..."
Olivia Stevens "... is over and above an actress and chanteuse, whose energy and verve, deep-throated voice and overwhelming talent and beauty - can bring the house down. And that's exactly what she did up in Le Dome, The Nightclub under the Stars.

Bea Smith, The Independent Press

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”It´s as if Europe tries to invent itself again in the Swedish summer night, when Olivia Stevens premieres her show that has been praised in New York and Avignon…
A grandiose performance that conveys the denial and pain of immorality. She sings: “Do you want to see a Star, look at me!" and Zarah Leander is reborn in the summer night."

"Zarah Leander …An international film and recording artist… was the biggest star in Germany during the Third Reich and a controversial favorite of Hitler and Goebbels. It is a tribute to the acting and singing power of Olivia Stevens, who tells Leander's story in her new cabaret show, Pleasure & Peril, that Leander comes alive, portrayed with understanding and intelligence, completely in character, yet with Stevens' own highly honed talents as an entertainer. Stevens - an international performer in her own right, in classical drama, musical theater and television - is a find, adding her European sensibility, charm, and rich, supple voice to the city's cabaret stages. She is also wise enough to enlist several of cabaret's finest pro's behind her: David Pearl on piano, capturing the period's musical style; Eric Michael Gillett as director; and, aiding her on the script, Gillett and James Beaman."

Peter Haas, Cabaret Scenes, NY

"Adored by some, despised by others, Swedish-born musical star Zarah Leander has remained a controversial figure for over six decades. In her wholly admirable show, Olivia Stevens gives ample evidence of the talent that drew so many to Leander, while at the same time, and to Stevens's credit, she doesn't gloss over the darker aspects of Leander's life and career. What emerges is a person who may not always have been admirable or likable, but who never fails to hold our interest."

Roy Sander, formerly of Back Stage, NY

"…a dazzling array of talent in the kind of acts one searches for, but rarely finds, when on vacation in Europe. I came away…supremely satisfied by the music, mind buzzing with fresh information."

Olivia Stevens, Jewish, born in Sweden, and living in New York, brilliantly solved the conundrum of playing Nazi diva Zarah Leander, with that anti-Marlene Dietrich diva's trademark deep voice and sunglasses, proclaiming, "I'd rather be number one in Berlin than number 10 in Hollywood!"

David Noh, Gay City News, NY