Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Under the direction of Aaron Henrickson, the first act hums along just fine, with a smart Chris Fowler as a hipster-nerd layabout who first discovers the Potter fanfic. The story's creator is winningly played by Cristiana Barbatelli as a confident upstart who can't fully hide her insecurities. The pair meet under false pretenses and fall for each other, and this is where playwright Pasen folds in some noted jabs at the stale, unrealistic conventions of romantic comedy."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...But Pasen's script is a breezy sitcom one moment, a self-consciously terrible Pirandellian escapade the next, with underdeveloped existential crises peppered throughout. As a result, a cogent world with meaningful stakes never emerges. Director Aaron Henrickson and the winning cast can't fill the many logical gaps of this Strange Bedfellows production, but they make two and a quarter uneven hours feel spontaneous, spirited, and intermittently charming."
Gapers Block - Recommended
"...But Badfic Love will appeal to a wider audience as well because its tantalizing comic irony is ultimately transcended by the underlying story. Is Badfic Love corny and campy fan fiction in its own right? Yes. Are the characters in Badfic Love producing even cornier and campier fan fiction? Yes. Are the main characters in Badfic Love echoing what is happening to the Hogwarts characters? Yes, and on one amusing occasion they do so literally."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...In a brilliant turn of script at play's end, Harry and Draco are cast out of Michelle's veritable Eden of an imagination as she decides to give up writing in the wake of Kyle's confession. Their school uniforms are exchanged for jeans and t-shirts, while their accents morph from a lilting Queen's English to flat Midwestern American. This is good writing on the part of playwright Adam Pasen. It's just not fun anymore. Even the best escapist drama, though, only allows us to escape for so long."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...Strong performances by Fowler, Hunter, and Konz, who is both more convincing and more likable as Harry Potter than Daniel Radcliffe (though he could be Radcliffe’s twin), and excellent directorial choices by Aaron Henrickson, overshadow the fact that Pasen’s real-world-characters are like their fanfiction counterparts, underwritten, and predictable. However, that may or may not be have been Pasen’s intention, and his dialogue, which convincingly balances camp with razor-sharp humor, in conjunction with Deziel’s disarmingly gorgeous scenic projections make the show well-worth seeing."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...Strange Bedfellows Theatre, whose current production reminds audiences that everyone has the freedom to be whomever they wish, offers a solid production of a play that depicts a world of new experiences for some, sparks interesting new ideas and discussion for others and generally provides an entertaining evening in the theatre for everyone. With a bit of tweaking and restructuring this play could become a new cult favorite; but as it now plays there are a few too many plot lines and new information bites for the average audience member to digest. The brilliant, hilarious Harry Potter play-within-a-play, however, is the icing on the cake that makes this show a scrumptious delight."
Buzznews.net - Recommended
"...Badfic Love, the new play directed by Aaron Henrickson and written by Adam Pasen, proudly delves into the nerdy world of fan fiction - its readers, its creators and its auditors. What is fan fiction some might ask? For those of you who are not familiar with this somewhat underground phenomena, fan fiction is the act of fans taking characters or settings from an original work (in this case Harry Potter) and creating their own storylines, steering the story into whatever direction they want, despite the fact that the work they create is hardly ever authorized."
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...BADFIC LOVE captivates on multiple levels. You don't have to be a Harry Potter aficionado to appreciate the ingenuity. But for those who are (like myself), you'll get some of the more subtle humor. And to add another realm into BADFIC LOVE's appeal, the play lives on in a comic book adaptation. Pasen, with art by Don Edwards, created a cool piece of BADFIC LOVE memorabilia. In addition Harry Potter-inspired rock bands provide preshow mood music. This is definitely an all inclusive experience. Since there is nothing bad in this fanfiction, the 'bad' in BADFIC LOVE must stand for bad-ass!"
Splash Magazine - Recommended
"...I won't tell you how this play ends, but I will say that after more than two hours, the players will surprise you. If you're a Harry Potter fan, this show will be fun for you, but don't expect to use your Potterdom expertise. This is Michelle and Kyle's story. Along the way, there were a few standouts in this entertaining production. The female actors - Katie Hunter and Cristina Barbatelli - shined brightly through their roles, being both laugh-out-loud hilarious and, later, very serious."
NewCity Chicago - Recommended
"...The script starts out lean and mean, but begins to sag down the stretch. Resolving the numerous plot-lines leads to a "Return of the King" vibe: ending after ending after ending. But the play's generous spirit toward outsider art mostly carries it through. It argues that while most fan fiction might be wish fulfillment, there are much worse things that one can wish for than happy endings."
