Cookie Play Reviews
Chicago Sun Times- Not Recommended
"...Ken Prestininzi's "Cookie Play," now in its world premiere at Trap Door Theatre, is such a repellant and predictable piece of political claptrap that the temptation was not to write about it at all. But because it is so simplistic, warped and offensive - and because it has arrived on stage in the wake of the horrific events that have unfolded in both France and Africa during the past week - it should not go without some comment."
Chicago Reader- Somewhat Recommended
"...Despite Kane's admirable efforts and Hendrickson's flair for combining pathos and zany cruelty, it's clear that Prestininzi can't figure out how to bring the situation to a head once he's got Tommy installed in the house. There are surreal interludes and a couple uncharacteristically vengeful speeches from Harriet and lots of cookie eating and torture. But without any plot advancement or character development, the whole thing starts to feel static and repetitive. When Harriet finally makes a move to rescue her son, she seems motivated primarily by the author's need to end the play."
Time Out Chicago- Not Recommended
"...I do my best to engage with new plays on their own terms, but try as I might, I’m absolutely baffled as to what Cookie Play is trying to be. Packed with empty signifiers, not to mention gratuitous gay-baiting, Prestininzi's play is frustrating in a way that's somehow both vague and smug. Hendrickson's unclear staging, too, is strewn with cookie crumbs, but they don't make much of a trail."
Theatre By Numbers- Somewhat Recommended
"...There is a really startling 45-minute show in here that unfortunately has been stretched beyond its limits into a 90-minute, uneven bumper car ride. It is, however, an interesting experiment in physical and absurdist theatre not often seen in Chicago, and for that reason alone, it’s worth a look."
ChicagoCritic- Somewhat Recommended
"...This piece nails the avant-garde aesthetic fans of Trap Door’s work love. Every actor gives their strongest effort, and the two Franks are especially funny. The designers created a rich world in such a small space, and the final scene is the play’s strongest. There’s a good premise and a worthy theme in how much people will twist their supposed values in defense of what they love/covet. But I shouldn’t have lost patience or gotten distracted so many times in a one-act, and looking around I saw lots of other bored, irritated faces once the jabs at George W. Bush ended. Accounting for the late start, I think the show still went beyond its intended ninety minutes. Trimming the babble would help it a lot. So would deeper characters."
The Fourth Walsh- Recommended
"...Still, Prestininzi conveys the probable truth in how our government conducts inquiries. And he delivers it with cookies to make the notion easier to swallow. The COOKIE PLAY is “Men in Black” meets “The Bourne Identity” with a side of “Mama’s Boy.” This reality is disconcerting whimsy."