Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...It's a promising setup, explored with gusto by director Jason Gerace's admirable cast, but the more playwright Theresa Rebeck reveals about Jack's backstory, the less plausible the play becomes—and the more her characters shrink in dimension and intelligence. Making matters worse, Rebeck's attempts to probe hot-button social issues are scattershot and superficial."
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"...This is a play about how both spiritual and worldly goals have disappointed the characters. If you’re interested in subjects like that, or enjoyed other plays by Rebeck, it could be worth checking out. There is a lot of humor in the story, which would probably work better with a regular audience than at the press opening I saw. But I, like the people in the play, was left wanting more."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...Jason Gerace’s adaption of renowned playwright Theresa Redbeck’s work provides poignant social commentary on a part of the country often overlooked by elites who believe the midwest to be a nebulous mass of farms between the coasts."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Even a person casually familiar with American Theatre will be skeptical of a play billed as “a comedy about the American family.” It’s hard to think of any staple of the American stage that would qualify. When American playwrights write about the American family, it is almost always about the family’s tragedy or its disintegration, and, as expected, “Dead Accounts” is comic rather than comedic. The themes of divorce, sin, crime, guilt, reparation, redemption, greed, suffering, death, regionalism, God, and money are far too numerous and heavy for a comedic plot or even tone. Nor is the play comedic in a classical sense; that is, by the play’s end, it is not all clear that the fortunes of the protagonists, especially Jack, have gone up, and the certainty of death in the family is a lot closer than either a marriage or a birth."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...With honest affection, manic energy and filled with laughter, Theresa Rebeck’s comedy is being given a very polished treatment in this Chicago premier. Jason Gerace brings his expertise to a production that creates a sincere portrait of a family struggling with all the usual kinds of problems. However, when an illness, a crime and the return of the Prodigal Son throw a wrench into their idyllic Midwestern life, a family and their friends rally together to empathize and support each other. Perhaps none of these problems would’ve occurred if only Jack had never left Ohio."
