Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...Though the setting of Cleage's frontier drama is a prairie homestead circa 1898, there's nothing fusty or dusty about this unabashedly uplifting tale that serves as a tribute to the power of independent black women and the importance of community. Cleage gets her points across without bombast or long stretches of solemn speechifying."
Chicago Sun Times
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Director Ron OJ Parson (who staged a superb revival of August Wilson's "Fences" at Court last season) has elicited lovely performances from his cast, with a richly realistic set by Jack Magaw beautifully lit by Kathy A. Perkins. But none of them can camouflage the way Cleage loudly telegraphs every aspect of her story."
Daily Herald
- Recommended
"...Exceptional acting, especially the finely tuned performances by Patton and Bruce who operate together as a well-oiled machine, enlivens Cleage's narrowly defined characters. That, and skilled, seamless direction from Parson, elevate Court's production beyond the dramatic equivalent of chick-lit into the realm of first-rate theater."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Atlanta playwright Pearl Cleage describes her characters as "fast-talking, quick-thinking black women," and that's certainly true of the heroines in these two historical dramas from the 90s, now playing in strong revivals. Flyin' West, at Court Theatre, is set in 1890s Kansas; it details the struggle of an all-female household to save their farm from a self-hating self-described mulatto in league with white land speculators."
Windy City Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Flyin’ West has been staged by numerous colleges around the Chicago area, so it’s OK to call Court Theatre’s production a follower instead of a trend-setter. Yet, under Ron OJ Parson’s wonderful direction, you won’t see a more powerfully and professionally acted Flyin’ West anytime soon."
Gay Chicago Magazine
- Highly Recommended
"...The play culminates with one of the most satisfying, albeit telegraphed, revenge scenarios seen in a long time. If you want to be engaged, uplifted, informed and entertained, “Flyin’ West” will delightfully do the job and then some."
EpochTimes
- Recommended
"...The Court Theatre located on the Campus of The University of Chicago is a true treasure when it comes to Chicago's theater scene. It seems as though they get stronger as the years go on. Their current production of Pearl Cleage's "Flyin' West" is a perfect example of the quality that we have come to expect."
Time Out Chicago
- Recommended
"...Cleage’s language doesn’t necessarily dazzle, nor does her plotting stray from the conventional. But like August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Flyin’ West casts a loving, insightful eye on the first generation of post-Lincoln African Americans. And her attention to the unique perils of the era’s women—as when Bruce recounts being raped/bred from the age of 13 only to see her children/commodities sold off—is unparalleled."
ChicagoCritic
- Highly Recommended
"...I thoroughly enjoyed this truthful glimpse into a unique and unknown episode in American history. Cleage has a clever twist that will surprise you and make you laugh as the women do prairie justice to the wife-beating Frank. The performances of the women are telling and truthful—TaRon Patton and Cheryl Lynn Bruce are especially dynamic on Jack Magaw’s wooden farm house set."
