Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...The head of this talented heap is PJ Powers, who has grown immensely in the title role. You can watch a young actor for years and then, all of a sudden, get the sense that he has just changed into a mature and crafted Chicago player before your eyes. That’s what happens here with Powers—he’s older, more intense and passionate and, well, suddenly a whole lot better."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...the genius of this musical -- with its whip-smart book by Jerome Weidman and George Abbott, and its irresistible, crackerjack score by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, the duo that would go on to pen "Fiddler on the Roof" -- is that it creates a perfect blend of the political and the personal."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...The beauty of Timeline's 2006 Jeff-winning version was that director Nick Dowling and company found a way to make the material comprehensible and entertaining to non-New Yorkers with no particular connection to LaGuardia. Video clips provided historical context, and, in the title role, an intense, slyly comic P.J. Powers easily won over the audience while an energetic ensemble made the other characters real and the score soar."
Chicago Free Press - Highly Recommended
"...The ensemble is terrific, particularly Terry Hamilton as political boss Ben Marino and his bevy of political hacks, played by Steve Best, Andy Nagraj, Joe Savino, Dan Loftus and Thomas M. Shea. These guys are so perfectly cast that I’m suspicious they were pulled out of offices at Chicago City Hall and coerced to do this play as part of a plea bargain in a corruption case."
Gay Chicago Magazine - Recommended
"...Director Nick Bowling has comprised an ensemble of talented wholehearted performers and musical director Doug Peck squeezes every ounce of musical chops out them. There are shining moments by all but Maris Hudson’s performance of Dora stands out as exceptional with great pipes and subtly remarkable comic timing. The material and style are slightly dated and at times even sappy but TimeLine’s dedicated delivery holds up well as entertaining and exciting. This is a production that engages on several levels and will leave you feeling good about the democratic process."
EpochTimes - Highly Recommended
"...This is a sparkling production that will teach as well as entertain. In this story we learn that no matter the obstacle before us , we can achieve by working hard and never giving up.How lucky we are that they have brought this production back to life so that more of you have the opportunity to experience this theater experience."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...Most of the original production's design team returns, including talented director Nick Bowling and skilled musical director Doug Peck. Their work on this piece is once again flawless. Kudos for the lifelike characterizations, the powerful harmonies and the exquisite diction exhibited by each and every actor. Peck's full-sounding six-piece ensemble is wisely housed behind the set to allow focus on the performers."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Fiorello! does exactly what its exclamation point suggests, imbuing a worthy story with a hunk of cheese and a hefty dose of heart. Save for a few cast substitutions, this remount duplicates the ’06 production right down to the plucky performances of Powers and Finnegan as LaGuardia and his devoted gal Friday. Between the muscle-bound celebration of the good side of American politics and Doug Peck’s impeccable music direction of Bock and Harnick’s infectious score, the exclamation point is proudly earned."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Timeline Theatre’s 2008 remount of Fiorello! is an improvement of their outstanding 2006 version. It will still impress those who loved the ‘06 mounting. For those who missed it last time—you have another chance to see this rarely produced musical. We could use a feisty reformer in Chicago. PJ for mayor?"
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...The creative implementation of projected images against hanging linens that were part of the set helped create the time and period of pre and post WWI that added a three dimensional feel to the production. It was enlightening especially to the members of the audience who are not as well versed on the occurrences of WWI. This was a top-notch musical that is worth remounting for years to come. Bravo Timeline!"
