"......The surprise of the evening must be Samantha Peo who has transformed from the tomboy we remember from 'Crazy For You', to the willful lass of 'America'. She gives a sassy, sussed performance as the cocky Anita, who has a no-nonsense approach to the rigours of being a Puerto Rican in America. Her singing is showy, her dancing sharp, and her performance packs punch. She captures the nub of the character with her walk, talk and overall interpretation...." Pretoria News

"......For sheer stage presence, Peo outdoes them all. Her performance in 'America' is superb. Here and elsewhere she is magnetic and gives us a wonderful Spanish accent throughout...." The Star

"......Peo has a quicksilver musical wit...." Business Day

"......Samantha Peo is like a flame as she plays Anita, the spitfire girlfriend of Bernardo. It is hard to comprehend that she is only 23 years old, and even harder to reconcile this part with the sweet, girlish creatures she has played before. She is so centred in this role emotionally and musically that it is like a quantum leap in her career from being a fine, new talent to being an exceptional artist...." The Sunday Times

"......Samantha Peo, her usual whimsical appeal, giving way to a more sophisticated air, is a lusty Anita...." Citizen

"......Samantha Peo’s wordclass Anita is elegantly comical...." Beeld

"......Samantha Peo as Anita, the vivacious, spitfire girlfriend of Maria's brother Bernardo, and friend of Maria, gives a remarkably outstanding performance and one which belies her relative youth and inexperience in roles of such depth. Vocally she has a fine voice, which one heard to especially great effect in 'America' and in the duet with Maria 'A Boy like that/I have a love'...." Scenaria Magazine