Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...Is satire an excuse, then, for Bradshaw to spew out a lot of self-loathing stuff? How valid is the exercise of a writer putting himself in the shoes of a black conservative? Was this just such an effort? I'd argue that the play works better the more sympathetic Carlyle is allowed to be; his excesses are when things depart from truth and "Carlyle" becomes more conventional — I've seen far more explicitly shocking plays than plays sympathetic to the conservative point of view, David Mamet notwithstanding."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...Meanwhile, James Earl Jones II (who's not the son of that James Earl Jones) is a revelation throughout. A longtime Chicago actor, he's had a journeyman's career but never a showcase like the one he gets here. And he nails it with a Candide-like enthusiasm that stretches from cartoonish innocence-pretty much skipping across the stage-to a jovial opportunism shaded just this side of calculation. It's Jones's role."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...On Monday night, this sequence inadvertently demonstrated the flaw in Bradshaw’s aim. One audience member, who’d been demonstrating her approval of Carlyle’s more conservative statements against busing and affirmative action with frequent applause, loudly heckled Charlette Speigner, the actor playing an actor playing Hill, as if she was shouting at the TV. Rather than serving as a subversive satire of black conservatism or an equal-opportunity skewering of both sides, Bradshaw is provoking the presumedly liberal theater audience while presenting a certain kind of conservative audience with a black character telling them everything they want to hear."
Stage and Cinema - Not Recommended
"...What follows is a blatantly familiar portrait of an un-compassionately conservative African-American right-winger, performed in real time at a major Chicago theater. In Bradshaw’s illustrated lecture, James Earl Jones II manically depicts an unwitting token. Carlyle rationalizes his sell-out by supposedly exposing liberal hypocrisy, the paternalism of affirmative action, as well as the presumed racism behind anti-poverty activism, gun control, the war against rape, and the desire of women to control their bodies."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...James Earl Jones II leads the entire cast in genial performances, and director Benjamin Kamine further sharpens the text's satire (as does work from Kevin Depinet, Rachel Healy, Heather Gilbert, and Christopher Kriz on the design team which would make sketch comedy theatres proud). He, Jones, and Bradshaw are clearly on the same wavelength. A difficulty of the play is that, at the time when the rift between the Republican Party establishment and its base is wider and more obvious than ever, Carlyle seems to represent both."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...In typical Goodman fashion, Heather Gilbert’s lighting design, Kevin Depinet’s set design, and Christopher Kriz’s sound design give director Benjamin Kamine the perfect playground to explore the multitude of ideas that Bradshaw brings to the table. The fluidity of the design and direction that allows the play to move effortlessly forward is why the abrupt, out of place audience participation is so off-putting for me. There are a few moments like that throughout the play that just fall off message and lose their power. But in a season where the world is saturated with politics, one more satire deserves a place at that table."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"... “Carlyle” is an intelligent, engaging and timely comedy about a charming young man who happens to be black and – oh, horrors! – a Republican. Going in, I wasn’t sure whether “Carlyle” was going to be a tongue-in-cheek poke at the far right or a conservative paean. It turned out to be a wickedly funny satire which pokes fun at lots of sacred cows. It was very well acted and it made me laugh"
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Benjamin Kamine, no stranger to directing Bradshaw’s plays, stages this production with sharp focus and a fast-paced, driving energy. Because of its specific timeliness, however, this play, as it’s now written, may not be produced much beyond this current election season. However, with some judicial revisions and updates, Bradshaw’s satire should become timeless. Know ahead of time that this is a play written for grownup audiences. It contains some very controversial, adult ideas and scenarios. It features drug use, some moments of violence, simulated sexual situations and a certain amount of profanity. However, as a political satire with bite, this is a production that isn’t afraid to take a stand play with it."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Recommended
"..."Carlyle" runs about 70 minutes in a single act. The material may be sensitive and controversial but only the most thin-skinned viewer would be offended. Bradshaw may have strong beliefs about the topics his play surveys, but he has gone more for the funny bone than the jugular. Patrons shouldn't leave the theater feeling angry, but they definitely should feel entertained."
Chicago Theater Beat - Not Recommended
"...Word to the wise: There’s nothing to get. Carlyle is nothing but cheap bait flung out in hopes that Chicago audience’s will fall for it, preferably while screaming at each other. Carlyle isn’t inflammatory or shocking, despite Bradshaw’s heavy-handed efforts to be just that. The play is a prurient, waste of time. There’s no story or discussion to be had here. There’s just a lot of empty noise, designed for maximum shock value."
NewCity Chicago - Recommended
"...At its best "Carlyle" offers a kind of double-edged, layered satire, as when our protagonist recreates the internal affairs of his hero Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill, the scene which provoked the aforementioned disruption. Bradshaw takes his fair share of pot shots at easy targets (the Tribune, O'Hare, the Clintons) but many of the evening's most memorable moments came from risky bits that fell somewhere in non-partisan no man's land."
