"This was a rollickingly funny, energetic and cheerful production. Much of the credit goes to bass Kevin Burdette. ... Burdette has a wonderfully resonant voice and splendid diction, but in this role his vocal talents were eclipsed by his acrobatic clowning and miming skills. He groveled, quivered and danced his way through the ever-more convoluted plot with exquisite abandon, bringing the whole cast along with him."— Joan Reinthaler, Washington Post

"At the top of the list was bass Kevin Burdette, whose hapless Ko-Ko, like many a mid-level Washington bureaucrat, put a few career misfortunes together to win a better post. His voice was clear and superb, his diction and consonants impeccably crisp-an absolute must in singing G&S' rapid-fire songs in such a manner that they could generally be understood. Add to this his physical comic acting style, a cross between John Cleese and the Three Stooges, and you get a Ko-Ko who infuses the entire show with an extra measure of inspirational pizazz."— Terry Ponick, Washington Times

“There’s a generous helping of topical humor, particularly in ‘I’ve Got a Little List,’ sung by Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner.... This is delivered with hysterical precision by Kevin Burdette, a regular at the Metropolitan Opera. He has a gift for physical comedy as skilled as anyone you’ve seen on stage or screen. Not only does he get the tiniest details of movement right, but he can sing beautifully.” — Jon W. Sparks, Memphis Commercial Appeal

"Midway through the first act, Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner (bass Kevin Burdette in splendid voice), patter-sings his way through his list of people who ‘would not be missed' if they were executed.... Burdette's Ko-Ko is the star of the show. His comic invention is unending. He's nobody's image of this Lord High Goof-Ball - he's skinny and wiry instead of comically ponderous - but he makes the role his own and merited the standing ovation opening-nighters accorded him."— Roy Proctor, Richmond-Times Dispatch

"Leading a strong cast, Kevin Burdette, as Ko-Ko the Lord High Executioner, worked from an enormous repertoire of odd gestures and unnatural sounds to fit every situation. His natural voice, a resonant bass, was twisted out of shape just as much as his tall, thin body. It was a brilliant use of a unique combination of talents."— Lee Teply, The Virginian-Pilot

"Bass-baritone Kevin Burdette steals the show as Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner, caught between impossible laws.... In the hilarious patter song, ‘I've got a little list,' Ko-Ko names various candidates for beheading (‘they'd none of them be missed'), including a whole slew of hysterical topical and local references, such as TV reality shows and robocalls. It's a brilliant star turn, even funnier when he unrolls a second scroll-'Appendix A'-and launches into an encore. Burdette's mastery of physical comedy is awesome-this sort of knockabout hilarity takes inventiveness and perfect timing, not to mention gymnastic agility, all while singing complicated lyrics."— M.D. Ridge, WHRO-Norfolk

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