Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...The generation gap is a nonissue when they are alone but considerably more of an issue when her children get wind of the affair, leading to the occasional heightened moment of a sex farce. But playwright Shane Sakhrani mostly keeps things grounded as Deepa struggles to reconcile her parental duties as dictated by her children, versus her own wants and needs. If only the production weren't so plodding and the blocking so repetitive: In scene after scene, the characters are sitting on the chair and sofa, chair and sofa, chair and sofa. For a story about a woman who becomes completely unbound by the strictures of her life, that's an awfully fixed visual."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Pay no mind to how predictable or sometimes campy it all is-Lavina Jadhwani's production of Shane Sakhrani's comedy is a warm, family-friendly screwball delight that effortlessly translates the cultural implications and stakes of life as an older woman in modern India to something universal. Age discrepancy notwithstanding, it's hard not to root for Anand Bhatt's adorably dorky young Vinod to end up with Alka Nayyar's title widow; you'll be sold immediately."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Widow takes a feather from Oscar Wilde’s cap, placing characters’ desires in direct contention with societal expectations. But there’s a sharpness of wit that’s lost in translation from the turn of the century to modern-day Mumbai, and the connection between these juxtaposed worlds (in addition to Sakhrani’s nod to Wilde by way of his play’s title, Tara quotes the Irish playwright multiple times throughout) seems half-baked at best. Under Lavina Jadhwani’s direction, the cast is mostly unable to harness the stakes of the play’s more serious moments that could give this somewhat silly romance a more savory dramatic arc. Deepa is played with a quiet charm by Alka Nayyar and is pleasant to watch, but overall this production of Widow could stand to add a little more heat."
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"...A Widow of No Importance will offer many clean, honest laughs for those partial to the exaggerated humor of the sit-com, but for those looking for an original, romantic story to fall in love with, they might be disappointed to find that the play becomes predictable early on, making its two-and-a-half hour run time a rather high price to pay for a flat-line romance and a conclusion that only confirms one’s expectations. If theatres are making diversity and the telling of lesser-told stories their missions, they might do better to think up more intriguing and diverse ways to tell those stories. After all, we haven’t heard these stories yet, right?"
Chicago Theater Beat - Somewhat Recommended
"...irector Lavina Jadhwani tries admirably to breath life into the proceedings, but there’s just no chemistry to spark from the words or the cast that can overcome primal unsettlings (and I consider myself a pretty open-minded guy, but kin-group aversion is pretty ingrained). Everyone is too over the top to be taken seriously in their desires, and their 11th hour attempt to get serious is jarring even as it offers up the most tantalizing bits. That said, Alka Nayyar is still a very magnetic stage presence I’d love to see in another show."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...If you adore the satirical trivialities in Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest," you're sure to enjoy Shane Sakhrani's nod to the master of wit, "A Widow of No Importance," playing at Victory Gardens. Exposing social customs, specifically conduct toward widows in India, as being claustrophobic and arbitrary, this successful comedy of manners also reveals, rather earnestly, the despair that those external expectations wreak when internalized."
