Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...The structure of the piece needs some work. Dawkins spends too much time on the Fail back story and then has to rush the death of the third sister, whose sickness comes from nowhere. And he needs to find a way to make this Mortimer fellow, through whose eyes we experience the demise of the Fail sisters, more central to the work. But his skills as a scribe are very much in evidence. There is some beautiful language in this play, rich imagery and a haunting sense of sadness and of the chaos and fragility of 1920s Chicago."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"... Here, in its exquisitely imagined world premiere in the Victory Gardens Theatre Studio is a wholly wonderful show that is profound, yet at the very same time whimsical beyond all imagining —a show in which time is of the essence, and in which love and death (especially death that comes suddenly and prematurely) conjoin in the strangest yet most beautiful of waltzes."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...Dawkins' auspicious debut with The Homosexuals in 2011 increases the risks inherent in this second venture, its dazzling wordplay and physical inventiveness too easily verging on the precocity associated with the Strange Tree Group's more introverted exercises. Bockley's ensemble never allows their premise to spill over into ham-handed camp, however, but deftly navigates the artistic clutter to invoke the E.L. Doctorow-nostalgic tone at the heart of Dawkins' delicately romantic text."
Centerstage - Recommended
"...There's no room for subtlety in "Failure". Desperation and urgency are palpable as Scott demonstrates the human spirit's endurance and the ineluctable passage of time. "Failure" is a fun, complex play layered with history, fantasy, philosophy, poignancy and humor. Director Seth Bockley had a lot of choices to make, and with every move it feels like he made the right one. As the lights turn off and the players bow, John N. Fail's wise observation is proven: "just because something ends, doesn't mean it wasn't a great success.""
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Seth Bockley's staging is even more unrelentingly playful than the script. He makes inventive use of books, hats, a rolling bureau and other old-timey props to suggest everything from Lake Michigan to a mouthy parakeet, yet the production feels almost frenzied in its nonstop hustle-bustle. Bockley has assembled a fine cast, led by the bubbly trio of Mildred Marie Langford, Emjoy Gavino and Baize Buzan as the sisters. But the uniformity of their aw-shucks, gee-willikers performances grows wearisome."
ShowBizChicago - Recommended
"...For its world premiere, the casting could not be more sublime. Baize Buzan's Nelly is blazen with naive brilliance and is a revelation to the Chicago theatre scene. Emjoy Gavino is a winning Jenny June whose demise comes from an attempt to swim across Lake Michigan while Mildred Marie Langford is sensational as the lovelorn eldest Fail, Gertrude, who finds a final solace in the man that won the hearts of two her dead sisters. As John, the pseudo adopted brother of the Fails, Michael Salinas both physically and verbally nails his character's eccentricities and solitude, while Janet Ulrich Brooks (one of my favorite actresses working in the theatre) and Guy Massey play the elder Fails (as well as intervening/interceding "characters") with great panache."
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"...I think with some editing and a tighter focus, Dawkins will have a wonderful, witty play. A new director with a clear focus minus the gimmicks would serve the play well. As presented now, you'll either laugh and love the quirky production or you'll be frustrated (as I was) with the tedious over produced gimmicks."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...Failure is not yet a total success: the writing could use some editing and the production some tweaking. But it has so much heart, so many laughs, and creates such a loopy and wonderful suspension of belief, that I highly recommend you see this play before it heads to New York."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...Under the masterful direction of Seth Bockley, this cast is sublime: Baize Buzan, Matt Fletcher, Emjoy Gavino, Mildred Marie Langford, Guy Massey, Michael Salinas, and Janet Ulrich Brooks. They are equally outstanding at zinging the one-liners and plucking at the heartstrings. This show is all about unplanned, life-changing moments. This cast showcases a lifetime of minutes with instantaneous playfulness and loving, lingering depth Buzan, Langford, Massey and Brooks hilariously morph into animals. Gavino sings and swims with fearless moxie. Fletcher and Salinas unexpectedly bond with a tender-hearted bromance. Bockley has orchestrated clock-stopping magic with this cast."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...This is indeed a charming play that has music and dance along with great performances by each cast member with some very special performances by Ms Brooks and Mr. Massey as they play snakes, clocks, puppy dogs and assorted other characters and objects."
Huffington Post - Recommended
"...In the fantastically macabre Failure: A Love Story, playwright Philip Dawkins manages to find the quirky, heartwarming delight in the unavoidable. The three Failure sisters, Nelly (Baize Buzan), Jenny June (Emjoy Gavino) and Gertrude (Mildred Marie Langford), are shining, independent woman who have bold futures before them. But fate has other plans, and a series of unfortunate events lands each sister in the heavyside layer within a matter of a few short months."
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...The beauty and charm of Failure is that this rather simple story is told quite elegantly. At various times the actors become animals, furniture, radios and gramophones, and clocks, lots and lots of clocks. They also play several instruments including piano, oboe, accordion, and percussion and sing several period songs with the hauntingly beautiful and foreboding lyrics "I can't give you anything but love" repeatedly interjected during key scenes. The play even makes time for Matt Fletcher (in what was probably the funniest moment of the play) to sing a jealous ode to his nemesis, Olympic swimmer and Hollywood star Johnny Weissmuller. At critical times the characters also engage in classic Hollywood fast banter, the type of talk that is often dizzying to keep up with. Under Seth Brockley's direction, none of this ever feels gimmicky or distracting. A lot is packed into this one act play but everything is packed well and it is truly a wonder to behold."
