Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...At Raven Theatre, working with a multi-room set by Jeffrey D. Kmiec, the director Cody Estle has caught much of the inherent comedy in the piece, but rather less of its poignancy. It's like everyone took as their model Tracy Letts' "August: Osage County" instead of "The Cherry Orchard." You can understand why, but it's the latter that actually comes closer to Footeian nuance."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...The Raven Theatre production, which marks the play’s Chicago debut, is a vast undertaking, with an ideally chosen ensemble of 13 actors under the nimble direction of Cody Estle and a grand-scale set by Jeffrey D. Kmiec. It is a worthy “modern south” counterpart to Lillian Hellman’s “The Little Foxes” (to be staged at the Goodman Theatre later this season), and an intriguing geographical alternative to Richard Nelson’s very New York-centric “The Apple Family Plays” (now at TimeLine Theatre). Echoes of Chekhov can be heard in the Chinaberry trees."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"... A more developed production might excavate some Chekhovian social commentary from the script, which owes an embarrassing debt to The Cherry Orchard. But director Cody Estle’s good-natured, stylish, imperturbable production ambles along pleasantly without a discernible point of view."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...The fashion these days is to jeer the mighty-brought-low, but who among us can claim to be wholly safe in whatever social stratum we occupy? Director Cody Estle and the Raven Theatre ensemble never lose sight of their author's compassion for his flawed characters, resisting the temptation to buffoonery ( though JoAnn Montemurro and Ron Wells come perilously close in their final scenes—perhaps a result of the action being placed far downstage ). Whatever we may feel toward the Gordons, their immediately recognizable authenticity and humanity render their survival as auspicious as that of their ancestors following another social crisis a century earlier."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...The play, which ran briefly on Broadway just before Foote's death in March 2009, puts on display a lot of small-minded alarm about big amounts of money, and Foote pushes the characters' greed and desperation almost to a satiric edge. So we almost get to enjoy some rich folks getting their comeuppance. But Foote's treatment is gentler than that, and neither the big-picture, societal implications of the dissolution of someone's hard work and legacy, nor any genuine emotional transformations, show up in this tale. We're encouraged to point our fingers at their travails, but not so much to empathize with them."
Theatre By Numbers - Not Recommended
"...This was altogether a disappointing experience. There was little to engage an audience, and the show went from mediocre to tedious awfully fast. While I applaud Raven for focusing on one playwright this season, I wish they would honor him with a production worthy of his work. I rarely give out the lowest rating for a show because I try to advocate for all theatre experiences - but this one is not worthy of your time or your hard-earned money."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...Amid the dithering dialogue with its plethora of local lore, gallows-humor gossip, and defensive denial, screaming quarrels punctuate the desultory action as if to kick-start a static situation. No venal plotting, as in the similarly themed The Little Foxes, or melodramatic pleas for pity, as in the equally anguished Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, lift this familiar fare above its relentless realism."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Dividing the Estate isn’t deeply profound or moving, and I doubt it’s meant to be. When you think about the Gordons’ situation, they still fare a lot better than almost any other acrimonious family in a drama, and their secrets aren’t really dreadful. But then again, the lifetime of jealousy and insulation from consequences their dwindling resources enabled has left them warped and with little chance of achieving happiness. They’re a little sad, but Foote infused enough hope into their situation to make them okay to laugh at. Death is a frequent occurrence and topic of conversation in this play, so don’t go expecting it to be completely light-hearted. But it’s an enjoyable night of theatre nevertheless, and the young lovers Son and Pauline demonstrate how to survive annoying relatives by maintaining a healthy perspective."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...Overall, this production is both an excellent example of Horton Foote's work and a good production in its own right. This show might not be for everyone as Raven tends to appeal to a slightly older crowd. But it wil be enjoyed by all who see it."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The Raven team has squeezed every drop of Southern Gothic flavor from this warm and mellow script, which has a Faulknerian density of history and narrative. Alas, the play ends weakly, lapsing into a more cartoonish comedy. It’s as though the writer peeked into the darker and harder aspects of his own time, then backed away from the implications. Still, the point is made: A culture that divides and monetizes its patrimony has neither past nor future. This family—rendered useless, fractious and selfish by privilege—in the end must rely on one another, and no reed could possibly be weaker. No wonder the playwright quails."
