Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...Theo Ubique is known for the quality of its singers, and this fall production, directed by Fred Anzevino, is fully up to snuff vocally. The one really important voice, of course, is that of the authorial alter-ego and heart-tugger Mrs. Johnstone, who needs to have a sound that's part musical theater and part pop ballad but just as much folk. Russell wrote for the voices he could hear in the Liverpool pubs and, luckily, Kyrie Anderson has such a voice, along with an ability to embody that crucial Northern resistance to fakery and flash. She is just terrific on those aforementioned ballads; reason enough, perhaps, to take your seat."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...At the heart of Willy Russell’s heart-wrenching musical “Blood Brothers” — a show that might be described as a Greek tragedy of the British working class — is the much-debated question about which is more crucial to human development: nature or nurture. Is there something in our genetic code that determines the course of our life? Is it the specific circumstances under which we are raised? Or, is it some complex combination of both?"
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...Theo Ubique’s production, which places us in the middle of the middling action, might be worth seeing just for the central performances by three young actors who are all new to me. Cody Jolly and Charlie Mann, tasked with embodying the brothers from wee schoolboys to adulthood, both find nuances in their portrayals of different ages. And as Mrs. Johnstone, who’s almost more of the piece’s focus than the boys, Kyrie Anderson sings powerfully and is magnetic in her weariness and worry. Much of Russell’s work feels inessential, but this mother’s a necessity."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...The lesson here: since Blood Brothers ran 24 years in London, had a successful run on Broadway and a fine national tour in the USA and has a worthy production at Theo Ubique, why not give it a try? I'm betting you'll like it more than I did."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...I always ask the same question as I watch a performance at the No Exit Café in Rogers Park- where do they find this talent? Do young actors/singers who move to Chicago seek out Fred Anzevino, or does he do his own “star search”. No matter the answer, audiences who attend his productions are always left with a wonderful feeling of being well entertained."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Fred Anzevino has done it again. He's brought new life and deep-felt integrity to a show that's either unknown to contemporary audiences or has been forgotten, except to the fans of this cult musical. With this cast of extraordinary actor/singers, marvelous musical and artistic accompaniment, heartfelt direction and a poignant, old-fashioned story that touches the soul, he has conceived another hit production for this much-accoladed theatre company. This season opener is a definite must-see show."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...This fall, Chicago is enjoying a bustling and diverse theater season - one of its strongest in years. Even among a sterling flock, Theo Ubique's Blood Brothers is a distinctive force. Thanks to sturdy source material, fantastic direction and brilliant casting, this production makes me look forward to the coming season, both at Theo Ubique and throughout the city."
Irish American News - Highly Recommended
"...TheoUbique's performance of Willy Russell's highly acclaimed musical Blood Brothers is absolutely stupendous! Russell's lyrics and music come to life through the energy and passion of a wonderful cast. Kyrie Anderson, as Mrs. Johnstone, embodies a Liverpudlian (native of Liverpool/England) working class mother torn by the financial cares of her family, and the choice to give up one of her twins to a better life, is delivered with tremendous sensitivity."
BroadwayWorld - Highly Recommended
"...One of Chicago's best storefronts (and quite possibly one of the country's) Theo Ubique production of BLOOD BROTHERS gets to the heart (and relevance) of the show like nobody else can. The end results are heartfelt and engaging."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Kyrie Anderson's performance as the mother is definitive; her voice is as warm and true as her spirit is conflicted. Part "Our Town's" Stage Manager and part El Gallo, Jordan Phelps' superb Narrator guides us through the tale; Phelps keeps just the right objective, emotional distance, while spinning heart-wrenching vocals. As the twins, Chicago-newcomer Charlie Mann and Cody Jolly carry us into that secret world of twindom, completely believable from estranged childhood, through confused adolescence, to the adult denouement; Mann's lilting tenor scorches."
