Force Continuum presented by Eclipse Theatre Company at Athenaeum Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...There is a lot of story here, but moments of genuine connection and reflection get lost in the rush. We hear Dece explain the interior conflict he feels as a black man well aware of the racism in police profiling, yet also a loyal officer. But especially in his scenes with Grandfather, there's a palpable sense of two men talking past each other (and past their shared pain) to make generic points about the changing nature of police work. (While Grandfather holds fast to the image of a happier time when cops knew their neighbors and treated them with respect, there's plenty of evidence that "the good old days" weren't "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," as Dece sardonically notes.)"

Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended

"...All this is grist for the mill in Corthron’s play, the opening salvo in Eclipse Theatre’s three-play 2017 season devoted to the work of the African-American playwright and activist who grew up in Maryland, lives in Harlem, and has had her plays produced at theaters throughout the U.S. and beyond."

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...But Corthron rips mostly from sociological treatises and Law and Order, cobbling together faux street-smart disquisitions ("With cops, societal attitudes get codified," says one officer) and overorchestrated violence. With a broad scope but little attention to narrative cohesion or psychological development, it's a nearly two-hour pile of important issues that haven't been sorted into a play. First-time director Michael Aaron Pogue understandably struggles to keep the action moving, and the jumble of questionable New York accents appreciably diminishes intelligibility."

Picture This Post - Somewhat Recommended

"...It must be remembered when judging Corthron’s work that, although the play remains topical, the terms of its discussion were not so well-worn into the public consciousness in February of 2001. The War on Drugs and War on Crime were still popular among African-Americans and The New Jim Crow was nearly a decade from publication. Does that mean the play still has value today? Yes, as a reminder of how the current policing situation developed, that good policing requires good people to want to be police officers, and the difficulty of implementing strategies for keeping the most at-risk people safe. With its seasons themed around a playwright, Eclipse, more than other theatres, tends to produce plays that work as parts of a whole."

NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...All told this is a play that needs some slimming and a production that could use some focus. Still, as a reminder (as if you needed it) of intersectional tension and the continuing pervasiveness of racism in this country, "Force Continuum" sets the tone for what will hopefully be another exciting season from Eclipse."