Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"... Iizuka certainly is not the first writer to probe the themes of erotic attraction and sexual exploitation between East and West. At times, "Concerning Strange Devices" puts one in mind of David Henry Hwang's "M. Butterfly," a play that argues that the West always feminizes and objectifies the East, an act in which the East has been historically complicit for reasons of it own. Iizuka's work, which switches from its initial setting to present-day Tokyo, where the costumes and language have changed but not the raw urges, is structured not unlike Tom Stoppard's "Arcadia," where present-day descendants try to unlock the actions and desires of their strikingly similar ancestors. You also get a whiff or two of Sarah Ruhl, a writer interested in Victorian sexual curiosity."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...But with an impressive sleight-of-hand-and-mind, artful minimalism and a visual beauty fully worthy of its many subjects, the contents of Naomi Iizuka’s “Concerning Strange Devices From the Distant West” somehow coalesce into an ever-shifting yet magically cohesive whole in TimeLine Theatre’s newest production. And director Lisa Portes, working with five intriguingly shape-shifting actors and a gifted team of designers, taps into the play’s uniquely edgy poetry — a mix of East and West, handmade and high-tech, truthful and deeply deceptive — that continually plays tricks on both Iizuka’s characters and the audience."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...The result is a fistful of loose ends. As directed by Lisa Portes, this visually crisp production boasts flawless design and a mostly flawless cast. Michael McKeogh stumbles in the keystone roles, though: dual-cast as the professor and Farsari, he proves his subtle talents in the former but struggles to find the right tone in the latter."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...These are a lot of metaphysical dimensions to travel in only 90 minutes, but Timeline production spares no effort in guiding us on our tour. Lisa Fortes' direction, assisted by an all-star technical team-including such specialized consultants as Eva Breneman overseeing the dialects, Nan Zabriskie assuring the accuracy of the full-body tattoos and Julia Eberhardt's geographically precise decor-keep our attention riveted on the dynamics of the five actors playing eleven widely-diverse roles in the intimate basement space."
Centerstage - Recommended
"...Luckily, Timeline’s cast (including Craig Spidle, Kroydell Galima and Tiffany Villarin) ensures that plays humanity is never lost amid its many intellectual acrobatics. Staged alley-style by director Lisa Portes, the actors take advantage of the intimate setting to evoke rich inner lives, masked by carefully composed but frail and brittle facades. While some of the design choices occasionally, particularly in the set by Brian Sydney Bembridge and the music by Mikhail Fiksel, evoke a slightly stereotypical Japan, the show on the whole is gorgeous to look at. The video design by Mike Tutaj deserves especial recognition."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...The middle section follows a closeted art teacher (McKeogh) who buys forged Meiji-era photos, playing his own con with a camera hidden inside his wedding ring. What begins with engaging, witty dialogue quickly devolves into a far-fetched muddle of double crosses and blackmail, depicted with increasingly exaggerated performances. Lisa Portes’s staging includes transitions in which Tiffany Villarin slowly moves across the stage while removing items of clothing. Perhaps it’s meant to be seductive, but it reads as a silly effort to spice up a flagging production."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"... In its Midwestern premier, Devices evenly unfolds under the direction of Lisa Portes. The initial appearance of a simple set (Brian Sidney Bembridge, in collaboration with projection designer Mike Tutaj) echoes the play’s theme of visual deception. Both ancient and modern eras are reflected: A cloud of lanterns evokes the floating world of Japanese woodcuts, and an origami-like surface serves as a screen for images of geishas and grifters alike."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"... once we stay attuned, the work entices and fascinates us. It explores human complexities and seduction both personal and cultural. It begins in 1880 as a Victorian woman, Isabel Hewlett (Rebecca Spance) visits Yokohama, Japan with her gun salesman husband Edmund (Craig Spidle). It is the meiji Era in Japan as the Japanese are fascinated with a new invention – the camera- that allows people to own an images from a distant land they’d never otherwise see. We see Isabel as she becomes enamored with Japanese cultural -particularly by a tattooed rick saw driver (Kroydell Galima) and his photographer employer Adolfo Farsari (Michael McKeogh). The curious Isabel asks too many questions of Farsari. When she finds out that her husband Edmund has a Japanese lover, she disappears into rural Japan."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...Playwright Naomi Iizuka has penned a triptych. The talented ensemble play various roles in the past and present. The multiple stories intertwine through photographs and serendipity. Director Lisa Portes tells Iizuka's story from different viewpoints. Portes paces the promenade like a moving picture show. The action takes place center stage with visible intrigue flashing on the side. The audience is engaged in puzzling together the three primary stories. As the cast morphs into different characters with hidden agendas, the audience is tethered to the task of deciphering what the real story is."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"..."Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West, written by Naomi Iizuka, is a 90 minute history lesson/puzzle that takes us across time and space, exploring the culture of the people of Japan ( back in the late 1800′s) and the modern Japan. The subject of the play is multi-faceted in that we learn about photography ( once a photo is taken, time stands still for the subject matter and the observer of same), fidelity ( or perhaps, infidelity), humanistic qualities, sexual desires and dreams and hopes of the people in this particular story."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Somewhat Recommended
"...Lisa Portes directs the production satisfactorily. Any difficulties I had with the play reside in the writing and not in the staging and acting. I still left the theater feeling dissatisfied that I hadn't fully gotten my arms around the play. "Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West" can be recommended for its visual presentation and its willingness to engage in stimulating ideas, but the overall storytelling was too elusive for me."
