Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...But the performances - especially Hambrock's thoroughly ingratiating LC-4, Logan's contained-but-aching J'an, and Grabowski's world-weary but heart-on-sleeve General - make the more self-indulgent stretches go down easy. Toss David Blixt's inspired fight choreography and across-the-board great production elements - especially Rachel Sypniewski's eye-candy costumes and Cassy Schillo's goofy props - into the ring, and resistance to this show's many charms is futile."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...You wouldn't expect such a tech-heavy show to ask anything of its actors beyond the stamina and agility to stay the course to the end-certainly not the charm of the anime-adorable Sheila O'Connor and Zach Livingston as a reluctant couple assigned the task of preserving their species, nor the dry humor dispensed by their allies, Rob Grabowski, Kimberly Logan and Josh Hambrock (but look for the femme-and-butch dialectic of Elise Mayfield and Meredith Rae Lyons' gleefully "blarky" villainesses to steal the show). Anyway, it's summer, and if blasting rayguns, ass-kicking chicks and bug-eyed monsters dying in spasms like cockroaches is your cup of Cassiopeia, this is your kind of entertainment."
Centerstage - Somewhat Recommended
"...When tracing the D.N.A. of Qui Nguyen"s play "Fight Girl Battle World" you are not likely to detect a lot of Eugene O'Neill or Arthur Miller. The play is more a descendant of George Lucas and Edgar Rice Burroughs, a sci-fi space opera with a good helping of irony mixed in to boot. More conservative audiences might be left scratching their heads at Infusion Theatre's spirited production of "Fight Girl Battle World" but younger audiences will find a show that really speaks their language."
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"...This futuristic tale has its moments but ultimately succeeds in wearing us out. I’m not sure who the audience is for this genre of theatre? The action and sheer effort will impress you, its just that the story suffers with all the neat effects, costumes and tones. if you like experimental sci-fi works, then Fight Girl Battle World may be you for."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...Director Mitch Golob mostly succeeds in steering the play, but some of the transitions don’t flow as smoothly as they need to and some of the dialogue sounds clunky, even given the genre. The pace flags at times, mostly between combat scenes, and a few moments of combat could be crisper (the airborne sequences in particular). Some of these issues will tighten up as the run progresses, but some are endemic to the overstuffed script. With so much smart dialogue, it was frustrating to see so many missed opportunities to make a point. In running news casts (with Maureen Yasko playing the gleeful anchor), there seems to be some indictment of “if it bleeds, it leads” reporting, but there is too much reliance on violence as a source of humor, without a sense of the consequences. Too often the play misses chances for satire and stays on the side of slapstick. Still, there is enough fodder for sci-fi and adventure geeks to thoroughly enjoy this evening—from E-V’s prize fights to the dogfight in outer space (with the ships’ puppeteers mirroring the crafts’ predicaments),the range of alien species on display, and frequently hilarious attempts by other space races to understand humans and vice versa."
Around The Town Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...The use of puppets and men dressed in black to work the fight scenes is very clever and the strobe lighting has some great effects. In fact, I might use them even more during some of the fight scenes to make the "slow motion" feeling more effective as our heroine flies through the air to beat her oppressors. Other strong members of this cast,Kevin Anderson,Michael Allen Harris, Kimberly Logan ( as J'an J'an a male who appears as a female pilot),Meredith Rae Lyons, Elise Mayfield ( who is quite hysterical, but needs a better fitting costume),Kai Young,Jose Nateras and the incredible Josh Hambrock as the robot LC-4. As I said earlier, a solid cast, but a script that I feel needs some work for our Chicago audiences. I know that this play won some awards in New York, but to be honest, our audiences are much more sophisticated and expect a great deal more."