Common Hatred presented by The Ruckus Theater at The Side Project

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...With narrative stakes and richer character development, there might be a real story here. At its core, "Common Hatred" is primarily concerned with emotional estrangements and thwarted ambitions, rendered most astutely by Michael Moran (as a successful author who keeps himself at a remove from his adoptive siblings) and a book editor played by Aaron Dean. He is the outlier of the group, and Dean portrays him (charmingly and somewhat creepily) as a man with an unscratchable itch. Each time he left the stage, I found myself wanting to follow and see where his story led."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Like Chekhov's original, West's script puts a pathologically tight-knit group of relatives, lovers, and hangers-on together in a moldering family manse that's on the block thanks to the financial mismanagement of unmoored siblings Andrew and Olivia. Decades of sublimated resentments spur everyone to ever so cordially tear one another to shreds even as they ache to consummate long-unrequited loves. For this Ruckus Theater premiere, director Karie Miller and her stellar cast artfully navigate West's minefield of purpose and paralysis, mania and indifference, profundity and pointlessness. It's all gracefully, disarmingly true."

Windy City Times - Recommended

"...Playgoers versed in Chekhov's Greatest Hits will appreciate the deftness with which Calamity West folds motifs from the source material into a text giving the impression of a four-act play, despite actually running only 100 minutes. The most welcome element in this company-based effort, however, is its absence of weapons to tempt those in despair to offstage suicide attempts. The Prozorovs, Ranevskys, Voynitskis and Sorins may have seen no escape from crippling inertia, but this is the United States in the 21st century—an age offering the Branwell clan a promise of moving forward toward redemption, and maybe even a kind of happiness."

Centerstage - Somewhat Recommended

"... The script, by West, is good but suffers occasionally from awkward exposition and infodumps. And while it achieves a nice sense of natural rhythms of conversation, it can sometimes seem a little undercooked, missing as it is the delicate poetry that held Chekhov’s works intact. Miller has crafted a fine ensemble and handles the cramped environs of The Side Project very well. She keeps the play on low burn with occasional bursts of flame throughout. Ultimately, I think the one thing I had wished for was something a little less like actual Chekhov. Rather than mimicking his voice, I wish “Common Hatred” had done more to find its own."

Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...Given the plot’s broad scope, exposition becomes a chore, with characters recounting the past to newcomer Sean (Aaron Dean). Sean’s only purpose is to serve as a sounding board, and he’s quickly written out in the last scene. Yet while Dean plays the show’s least-developed character, he also gives the most natural performance, with an unsettling presence that stands out in the flood of theatrical convention."