Melissa Rapelje steals the show as the driven and talented Stephanie Mangano. Rapelje looks at home in the ‘70s milieu and is a show-stopping good dancer, making her perfect for the role."

-Kimberly Rau, 99.7 FM WPRO, Full Review here.

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"Rapelje is a triple threat (along with doing great "Brooklynese). A beautiful, lilting singing voice, she soars in 'What Kind of Fool' and her duet with Tony, "100 Reasons' is melodic and soulful."

-Greer Firestone, BroadwayWorld. Full review here.

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"In the starring roles, Schyler Conaway and Melissa Rapelje set the stage ablaze with a sensual magnetism as Tony Manero and Stephanie Mangano the young romantics. Both have physiques and voices to die for, and their dancing and acting skills are seemingly boundless."

-David Christner, The Newport Daily News, Full review here.

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"...polished professional work of Melissa Rapelje. Rapelje shows clear understanding of her character: an ambitious woman hiding insecurities behind an aloof demeanor. She has lots of attitude -- and a lovely singing voice. The back-and-forth with Conaway on “100 Reasons” is musical and emotional on both of their parts."

-Kathie Raleigh, The Independent, Full review here.

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“Melissa Rapelje, another beautiful person who can sing and dance, plays love interest Stephanie… Rapelje deftly understates her character’s mix of fear and pride, so you believe in Stephanie’s final emergence into the sunlight.”

-Hugh Hunter, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Full review here.

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“With good-looking, good-dancing, good-singing leads Jesse Corbin and Melissa Rapelje, an energetic cast, tremendous stage design, and that Bee Gees music, The Media Theatre transforms the dead-ender despair of the John Travolta flick into something happy yet genuine.”

-Hugh Hunter, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Full review here.

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“Melissa Rapelje shines as Stephanie, showing both her attraction to Tony and her wariness, as involvement with Tony may take her back to the predictable Brooklyn life style she wants to leave behind. Ms. Rapelje and Mr. Corbin’s song and dance numbers sizzle.”

-Margie Royal, Delco Culture Vultures. Full review here.

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"Melissa Rapelje is excellent as Stephanie... her Brooklyn accent is impeccable and she does well in portraying this young woman who feels like she has to continually brag about her new life outside of Brooklyn to impress others. These are two people who feel stuck and are just trying to find some way to make their lives better, and both Sartin and Rapelje create realistic characters without making them carbon copies of their film counterparts. They are very good dancers and form a duo that you root for."
​-Gill Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway. Full review here.
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​"Notardonato also shares an easy chemistry with Melissa Rapelje as Stephanie Mangano, his new dance partner. Rapelje is also a gifted and nimble dancer and together with Notardonato they tear up the dance floor every time they take the stage. Playing Stephanie with a tough exterior hiding insecurity works well. As good as her dancing and acting are, Rapelje soars in her handful of solo singing moments, such as "What Kind of Fool," one of the 10 Bee Gees hit songs used throughout the show."
​-Jeffery Walker, Broadway World. Full review here.
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“100 Reasons,” beautifully sung with Melissa Rapelje. As Tony’s love interest, Stephanie comes off cold initially and a bit superior-sounding, but she later reveals a softer side. Rapelje shows off her impressive range during a moving rendition of “What Kind of Fool.”
-Gail Choochan, THE FREE LANCE-STAR. Full Review here.

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"But the standout is Rapelje as dance hall queen Nickie. At exactly one hour and ten minutes into the production, she suddenly sets ablaze... She leads the scorching juggernaut “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This” along with Hugel and Williams, and the show suddenly comes alive. Rapelje’s Nickie exudes a seen-it-all exterior, brays a Queens twang and owns a wicked mouth that can be twisted into an insolent glower or a having-a-ball grin. Her powerful pipes amp up the on-stage energy anytime she starts to sing."

-Bill Hirschman, Florida Theatre On Stage. Full review here.​

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Melissa Rapelje... a true triple threat for her superb singing, dancing and acting."​

-Linda Lowen, Syracuse.com. Full review here.​

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​"But, this time around, something new and special came to my attention... brought to the fore by the electric performance of Melissa Rapelje.  Ms. Rapelje dominates the stage as a complex mix of bravado and vulnerability. 
-Herbert Paine, BroadwayWorld.com Review. Full review here.​

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​"Melissa Rapelje scores as the haughty sophisticate Sheila, a woman who rightly recoils at being classed as one of the “girls.”  [Sheila] continually dominates scene after scene with caustic wit and sensuous good looks."
-James MacKillop, Syracuse Newtimes. Full Review here.
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​"Sheila, played by Melissa Rapelje, the seductress with an attitude, uses her breasts and derriere like a weapon."
​-Katie Keyser, Cortland Standard

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​"She was feline, sensuous, her long blonde hair framing a purely theatrical face with kaleidoscopic changeability ranging from "come hither" to prayerful humility."
-Charles Morgan, Times Beacon Record
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"She has innate beauty which, if not showcased, would be a titanic loss to the theatrical community. Needless to say, her voice was commensurate with her beauty."
-Charles Morgan, Times Beacon Record