A Little Bit Not Normal at Victory Gardens Theater - Biograph

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Arlene Malinowski has collapsed! For this installment in Victory Gardens' "Up Close & Personal" solo performance series, Arlene Malinowski details her ordeal with immobilizing depression. Naturally a clown, Malinowski has here assembled a dismal litany full of binges, breakdowns, and benzodiazepines."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...This has been a great year for solo performances. The Greenhouse had a wonderful "Solo" series and now the Victory Gardens , "Up Close & Personal Series" is ready for Chicago audiences. Last week I reviewed "Where Did We Sit On The Bus", an amazing one man show, written and performed by Brian Quijada (from Highwood). Today, the solo performance by Arlene Malinowski "A Little Bit NOT Normal", her own story , dealing with depression, written and performed by her, and smoothly directed by Lisa Portes ."

Picture This Post - Highly Recommended

"...The show's opening performance was followed by a panel of mental health professionals who were interested in how the lack of sex-specific research has been a major stumbling block to finding better treatments. Besides having lived it, Malinowski is very well-informed as an advocate and has clearly come to the conclusion that the best way to erase the stigma surrounding depression is to refuse to grant it rarefied status. One of the most important lessons she learned was how much easier things would have been for her caregiving husband if there had been other people she felt she could have shared her experience with. A Little Bit Not Normal is a fascinating story about a common occurrence."

NewCity Chicago - Recommended

"...Malinowski clocks the play in at about an hour and twenty minutes. Beyond the physical endurance of any one person show, she does not let up. Her imitations are precise vocally and physically. Her work as a seasoned actor is evident in the shifts between herself, her depression (characterized by a cigarette and a Texan drawl lopping out "baby girls") and the menagerie of characters that fill her life. More importantly, she is charismatic and joyful even in the darkest moments of her story. Watching her talk and explore her journey is an act of play more than anything else."