Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...A.C. Smith throws himself at Troy like a man so seared with pain, and so consumed with keeping his shaking, bitter corpse together, he has little time or ability for grand pronouncements. It's a searing piece of acting that comes from an actor who never quite had this kind of chance."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Anyone who still harbors even the slightest doubt about playwright August Wilson's enduring legacy will be set straight by this magnificent revival of "Fences," his Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning play first produced on Broadway in 1987."
Daily Herald - Highly Recommended
"...Smith, delivering a virtuoso performance in Court Theatre’s powerful revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by August Wilson (who died in October of liver cancer), stands alone onstage illuminated by a single spotlight, disappointment, anger and resentment playing across the face of the former Negro League baseball star."
SouthtownStar - Highly Recommended
"...The play has an epic sweep of operatic emotions, longings and human frailties. And as directed by Ron OJ Parson, and with an extraordinary cast, the Court Theatre's revival of Wilson's work soars to new heights. "
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...longtime Chicago actor A.C. Smith smacks it out of the park in this Court Theatre revival, beautifully directed by Ron OJ Parson. The play is often compared to Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, but Smith's Troy is no broken-down Willy Loman; instead he's a man who fights so hard for respect that he risks losing his wife and son."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...With Fences, director Ron OJ Parson hits one out of the ballpark. Emotionally ferocious, bone-authentic and so riveting that the nearly three-hour running telescopes down to the time and intensity of tightly contained flash fire, Court Theatre’s production of August Wilson’s drama is as rich and vibrant as theater gets. That’s not hyperbole."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...With [director] Parson's whip-smart textual attention, the first-string actors hit as many homers as Troy Maxson (once a coulda-been baseball player, now a bitter garbageman) claims he once did."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Fences is a modern classic American play that explores boundaries families face as the children’s hope for the future are balanced with the limits of race, culture and class. Our ‘fences’ either become limiting forces or gate ways to success. Wilson marvelously shows us how the Blacks in the 1950’s America struggled with their fences."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...Powerfully directed by Ron OJ Parson, Court Theatre's magnificent production is full of rich and complex human emotions and unforgettable performances. The starring role of Troy Maxson is perhaps one of the most challenging assignments an actor could ever be handed, and A.C. Smith gives a bravura performance full of pain, rage and fierce survival instincts."
