‘DOGFIGHT’ - “Matthew Keenan, the scenic designer behind the show, is one of the true heroes of this production. Despite a relatively small space, his creativity in making a unit set an appropriate background for a battlefield, bar, diner, bridge, tattoo parlor, bathroom, bedroom, bus, and marine barracks is remarkable.” Broadway World
“NEXT TO NORMAL’ - “The show is well served by Matthew Keenan’s set, whose stylized touches — fractured doors, a near-bewildering number of staircases, a suspended starburst that resembles a shattered plate — speak of the household’s sustained distress. The environment nicely showcases the production’s most-memorable moments” The Washington Post
‘BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY’ - “But perhaps the most stunning element of the aesthetic was set design by Matthew J. Keenan paired with properties and set dressing design by Cindy Landrum Jacobs. There are few words I can come up with that describe the stunningly detailed, rich, and deep world that they were able to create with their weathered and cut-out farm home. Highlighted by the particularly dynamic Projection Designer Patrick Lord and the subtle Sound Designer and Engineer Dan Deiter, the fields of city Iowa, coast of Napoli, and, yes, bridges of Madison County, leapt to life before our eyes.” DC Metro Theatre Arts
‘PICASO AT THE LAPIN AGILE’ - “The set design by Matthew J. Keenan is simply stunning. Floating “Calder-esque” mobiles hang from the rafters (and these floating panels double as witty, striking visuals for the wonderful Projection Design by Patrick Lord). Abstract techniques are contrasted against more traditional art. An extended rear stage dining area and cozy café tables and bar add to the comforting look of the décor. Chandeliers in traditional brass add to the ambience.” DC Metro Theatre Arts
‘CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF’ - “Indeed, the Scenic Design by Matthew Keenan is a marvel of functionality wedded to aesthetic appeal. Keenan captures the feel of the period while still maintaining classical clean lines that help to showcase the talent in the foreground. The set and the set’s furniture is appropriately conveyed in shades of white and off-white. (An aborted column on each side of the stage are on hand to, perhaps, show the decay of life and the slow death of this particular world order?) As mentioned, the extreme depth of the set’s construction, the side galleries and doors, and the opaque screen at the rear (to suggest concurrent events and conversations) all add to the evocative ambience.” DC Metro Theatre Arts
‘TOP GIRLS’ - “The sets, which invoke the addled British and female worlds of the play, were designed by the incredibly talented Keegan set designer Matthew Keenan, last seen on stage in Keegan’s hilarious “Stones in His Pockets.” MD Theatre Guide
‘WEST BY GOD’ - “Matthew J. Keenan’s set, with its backdrop of dilapidated fencing, suggests a place that’s seen better days. Rural economic plight looms large as the play explores the ugly collision of urban elitism and middle America stereotypes.” The Washington Post
‘BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY’ - “Matthew J. Keenan provides an expertly designed set that features a top level for Francesca's bedroom and a revolving wall to take us from outside into her kitchen.” Broadway World
‘WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND UNAFRAID’ - "All the action takes place in Agnes’s kitchen, which looks like the inside of a cozy cabin in Matthew Keenan’s effective design. You feel the isolation so acutely that it’s an instant laugh line when a woman named Hannah dryly observes, “It’s pretty rural out here.” The Washington Post
‘WHAT WE’RE UP AGAINST’ - “The heroine is the whip-smart and deliberately hard-to-like Eliza, played with ferocity and fiery resentment by Brianna Letourneau. She’s sick of being shoved to the edges of her architectural firm — a plain fact that’s wittily rendered by Matthew J. Keenan’s set, which features a floor plan of the firm’s office on the back wall. The plan shows exactly who gets big offices and who gets the broom closets.” The Washington Post
‘THE LONESOME WEST’ - “Further characterization and narrative momentum are supplied by the rundown-farmhouse set, which comes complete with ripped armchairs, stashed-away bottles of poteen (the local moonshine) and lots of additional clutter, such as the religious figurines that Valene collects. (Keenan designed the set.)” The Washington Post
‘CHICAGO’ - “Matthew J. Keenan’s effective two-level set in the roughly 100-seat theater is like a jumbo prison with the orchestra on top and a central staircase in the middle for low-rent glamorous entrances.” The Washington Post
‘TOP GIRLS’ - “With fascinatingly effective set design by Matthew J. Keenan and eye-popping costumes by Alison Samantha Johnson, Keegan’s production of Top Girls is delightfully disturbing.” DC Metro Theatre Arts
‘TOP GIRLS’ - “Every production element follows this commitment to bold individuality, from the metropolitan cubism of Matthew J. Keenan’s fascinating set to the emotion-punching lighting of Laura Eckelman.” DC Theatre Scene
“Keegan’s production ekes out story from every angle, starting with Set Designer Matthew Keenan’s heartrending construction” DC Metro Theatre Arts
‘AIRNESS’ - “The deliberately scruffy set, with its bar stools and fading posters, highlights just how far the competitors have to travel in their imaginations to project themselves into a realm of multiplatinum glamour.” The Washington Post
‘AMERICAN IDIOT’ - “Matthew Keenan’s abstract abandoned-building set (its broken windows often splashed with 2000-era media symbols) properly captures the show’s tone.” DCist
‘THE UNDENIABLE SOUND OF RIGHT NOW’ - “As executed by Set Designer Matthew J. Keenan and Properties and Set Dressing Designer Cindy Landrum Jacobs, the joint’s fading glory is evident in every dank detail. There’s cheap beer on tap, a messy collage of paint and posters on the walls, crushed plastic cups and other trash from last night’s bash on the floor. A sign in a hallway reads: “We know our restrooms suck. Deal with it.” We get the picture and almost the stink.” DC Metro Theatre Arts
’GOD OF CARNAGE’ - ”The set foreshadows the coming fracas. There’s a fault line down the middle where this living room seems sliced in two. And something’s out of whack. The halves do not align. Like two stressed tectonic plates beneath the surface predicting a quake any second, Matthew J. Keenan’s astute set design sets us on edge.” DCMTA Magic Time
‘LEGALLY BLONDE’ - “Matthew J. Keenan’s two-level set, with a brick motif blending well into the exposed brick Keegan space, is both attractive and functional. This is a production that looks as good as it plays.” DC Metro Theatre Arts
‘LINCOLNESQUE’ - “Set designer Matthew J. Keenan provides a brilliantly executed concept: The neoclassical columns, painted to evoke the flows of marble, are angled off from the vertical; lines on the floor don’t run perpendicular to one another, and laminated newspapers lie just below the false marble wash. Washington’s news obsession is never out of sight or mind.” Washington City Paper
‘CHICAGO’ - “Directors Susan Marie Rhea and Mark A. Rhea envelop Roxie and Velma in a pleasingly dark, rough world dominated by set designer Matthew J. Keenan’s marvelous, multi-tiered Cook County Jail.” Metro Weekly
‘CHICAGO’ - “The beauty of Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse’s libretto is that every musical number is envisioned as a stand alone song for the performers. Keenly picking up on this, Susan Marie Rhea and Mark Rhea have staged, thanks to Matthew J. Keenan’s set design, the show as if it were a backstage vaudeville extravaganza.” Broadway World
‘THE LONESOME WEST’ - “The set for this production, designed by Matthew J. Keenan and dressed by Carol H. Baker, feels as lived-in and authentic as the characters themselves, capturing the viewers’ gaze from the moment they enter Keegan’s intimate theatre space.” MD Theatre Guide
‘WHEN WE WER YOUNG AND UNAFRAID’ - “One of the best things about coming to see a Keegan Theatre performance is seeing the completely new way that the space is transformed. The cozy set designed by Matthew Keenan, is reminiscent of the endless evergreens of the Washington/Canada border.” MD Theatre Guide
‘CHICAGO’ - “The eye-catching set was part-Broadway dazzle, part-industrial loft, (with three sets of stairs) thanks to Scenic Designer Matthew Keenan.” DC Metro Theatre Arts
‘NEXT TO NORMAL’ - “The Set, designed by Matthew Keenan, was static, all blue with levels that the actors moved through and against. It perfectly embodied the fragmentation of the interior spaces of the characters.” MD Theatre Guide