Performance Resume
Performance Reviews
Asa Charles Leininger is a delight as Riff, the de facto leader of the Jets. His tough-guy big city accent and macho swagger in "Jet Song" and "Cool" convey the natural leadership of pint-sized punk immortals like Jimmy Cagney. The plot demands an early exit (think Mercutio), but his presence and that of his Tybalt-like arch-enemy Bernardo (the impassioned Lysander Abadia) are greatly missed during Act II's falling action.
Larry Collins, Performing arts. Reviewer for Springfield News- leader
Asa Charles Leininger stuns as Riff, the leader of the Jets. Leininger makes Riff far more than a brainless brute with his multilayered take on the character. His Riff started the Jets to have a sense of belonging. He's proud of his gang because of the support they provide. He's tough. He's loyal, remaining friends with Tony despite his walking away from the gang. His Riff even has a code of honor as he's willing to settle his issues with the Sharks with a fistfight. He even has some common sense as he refuses to react to those that call him and his gang hoodlums and prefers to stay cool. Leininger's New York accent is spot on and he retains it as his lower tenor entertains us with "Jet Song" and "Cool".
Chris Elston, Chris' Corner
Asa Leininger’s Achilles pulls off his own balancing act with remarkable grace – the golden boy of Greece, who loves his friends more than his country and harbors a well-earned loathing for Agamemnon but is skilled enough in battle that Hephaestus crafts him replacement armor, greeting life with a just-this-side-of-arrogance ease. His love for Patroclus – a terrific performance by Amos Smith – and the chemistry between them makes the well-trod ground of Achilles’ giving Patroclus his armor feel enough like generosity that when the inevitable happens, it hurts like we haven’t seen it before.
Richard Sanford, Columbus Underground
We had a fantastic young narrator, Asa Leininger, who was kind of an ‘extreme dude’ character, and I think he, along with our very exciting, loud, and dramatic musical selections, really kept the students' attention.
Kyle Wiley Pickett, Conductor for the Springfield Symphony Orchestra
...one of our (Little Theatre Young Artist) students”—Asa Leininger—“is Riff, and he has a maturity and intensity beyond his years.
Lorianne Dunn, Director and education director at springfield little theatre