Don't Go Gentle presented by Haven Theatre Company at Theater Wit

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...Belber has a sharp way with one-liners — when informed by his daughter that no one literally dials a phone anymore, he tells her to just "poke your miniature video screen" instead — and a keen ear for skewering righteous indignation. Director Cody Estle's production for Haven Theatre is first-class all the way, with top-of-the-line performances and a gorgeous set from Jeffrey D. Kmiec full of dark woods and leather sofas and leaded-glass windows. (I can't say enough about that set.) As a single mother forced into a unusual but pragmatic decision, Echaka Agba is especially on point in the opening scene, when her expression is neutral, but the kind of neutral that betrays a jaded wariness. That look says so much."

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...Stephen Belber spends too much time demonstrating what his characters are like rather than showing us what consequential things they do, making the first half of this 90-minute drama feel relatively inconsequential. Cody Estle’s overly good-natured direction doesn’t help this Haven Theatre production. But once Belber ignites his plot and Estle lets his superlative cast dig into the script’s meaty subtext, the emotional pyrotechnics are dazzling."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...Muwonge does particularly well as a foil for Sprunger, while Agba channels Tanya's nurturing spirit into her interactions with Woodel. Coffin's Amelia is a character who is used to being ignored, and while patient about it, she finally runs out of endurance when she realizes she is being thrown out with her brother despite not sharing his failures; an arc Coffin handles deftly. The house being fought over, designed by Jeffrey Kmeic, is beautiful and realistically antiquated, with a nautical theme that includes paintings of tall ships battling. It's the sort of old-fashioned belligerence appropriate for the play, and though Don't Go Gentle's plot is such a stretch that it requires its characters to be dysfunctional in precisely the right way, Estle manages his actors to achieve that precision."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...What happens to us when we face the end of our days? Some people tend to review their lives and see where they could have done more for others. Others look at their lives and feel that they were perfect. What happens to a person who feels that they have led a perfectly wonderful life, giving to their family and community, only to come to the realization that they have been living in what we might call a facade? This is a great deal of what playwright Stephen Belber has created in his “Don’t Do Gentle” now in its Chicago Premiere at Theater Wit on Belmont"

The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended

"...DON’T GO GENTLE plays out like the trial of Judge Lawrence Driver’s life. We hear all the sides. We see the infractions against humanity. We witness the guilty parties. And we worry and hope people get what they deserve. DON’T GO GENTLE is the whole tasty enchilada; writing, directing, acting, designing. The morning after, I’m still perplexed with entitlement issues. DON’T GO GENTLE is complicated and simple. "