Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...This fine show manages both to have heart (thanks in no small measure to John Ferrick and John Taflan, a real emotional well) and ambivalent sophistication. It also has actors like Megan Kohl, who plays the creepy Miss Havisham, and Gibson, the convict, whose personalities are sufficiently expansive and colorful to evoke that famous Dickensian human pageantry, always crucial when this particular writer is brought to the stage."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...What makes the crucial difference in Strawdog Theatre's magnificent production of "Great Expectations" - easily among the finest shows of the year - is that its supremely gifted ensemble of six actors not only captures all the superficial qualities of Dickens' marvelous characters (and they play about 40 of them), but they furrow deep into their hearts and souls. The many individual quirks are unquestionably amusing, revealing and richly theatrical, but there is something far greater going on here. Along with Gale Childs Daly's flawless adaptation and Jason W. Gerace's diamond-cut direction, it is this emotional undertow that makes this production soar. The show is a stunner on every level."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Like all successful novel-to-stage adaptations, Gale Childs Daly's translation of the Charles Dickens classic embraces the spirit of the source while rendering it freshly revelatory. In Jason Gerace's vibrant production, six actors playing 40 characters occasionally grab books from a nearby shelf and read the story into life; the director also has an unorthodox willingness to dramatize what was mere exposition in the novel."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Under Jason Gerace's direction, the physically and verbally agile ensemble, led by Mike Tepeli as the orphaned protagonist, shifts between personalities with the swap of an apron or the donning of a pince-nez, keeping Dickens' coming-of-age fable proceeding smoothly and seamlessly for the smidgen over two hours necessary to bring the intricate plot to a satisfying resolution. "Take nothing on its looks," advises Jaggers, "but on the evidence." All evidence points to this being an unrivaled success for Strawdog Theatre Company."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...Story theatre is an unusual form of playwrighting that combines storytelling with traditional dramatic style. When it’s good, as in Gale Childs Daly’s terrific new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ popular coming-of-age novel, it’s very good. Combine this exceptional dramatization with a terrific director, who both understands the story and owns his theatre craft, and you have a production deserving of all the popularity, praise and prizes that Strawdog Theatre will most certainly garner."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Daly's lithe adaptation smartly trims Dickens's expansive plot and cast without feeling like it sacrifices too much. It's a great pleasure watching strong young Chicago talents like Drinkall and Kohl embody numerous characters, transmuting in front of you, while Tepeli handles the young hero's journey and eventual maturation with rich depth and magnetic charm. Strawdog's compelling production greatly exceeds expectations."
ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended
"...Great Expectations in the end, is an actor’s piece and in this aspect, the casting is superb. Mike Tepelli’s ‘Pip’ is the only actor who gets to play one character, but that in itself is a misnomer. Tepelli may only be inhabiting one person, but Pip is such a complex character that few actors could accomplish whatthis actor does in transforming Pip into a man with a soul and conscious. Kyle A. Gibson is also amazing to watch as he transforms right before our eyes into characters that are polar opposites. His is truly a performance that must be recognized for the genius that it is."
Chicago Theatre Addict - Highly Recommended
"...If you’re looking for a chance to rediscover a beloved classic while revisiting some of Dickens’ simple but potent (and quite relevant) life lessons, check out Strawdog’s production."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...For anyone unfamiliar with the novel, Jason Gerace's fast-flowing, quicksilver-supple and scene-changing two-act staging may be daunting, the more so for the minimalist trappings of this efficient enterprise. For all its traffic control, involving six industrious performers (with Mike Tepeli as the ever-astonished Pip), it's as much a radio play as theater. (The other excellent players are Amanda Drinkall, John Ferrick, Kyle A. Gibson, Megan Kohl and John Taflan with Hilary Holbrook providing the music.) Of course, since this is Dickens, it feels perfectly right for the holidays, just as his holiday novels have so perfectly stamped the season."
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"...This show could easily become a stage worthy event if Kyle A Gibson would tone down his cockney accent; if John Taflan would slow down his rapid -fire speech patterns; and all the women would slow down and punch-out their words clearer. Mike Tepeli's performance was terrific and if he too would slow down at tad and articulate his lines clearer his performance would go from terrific to splendid. He has the charm and presence that is winning. Tone down the accents in the interest of clarity. On the street after the show, I heard several people say that the show needs super titles like the opera so we can understand the words. There is a lesson here. One can hope that the production tones down things so audiences can enjoy the ambitious show. There is a fine show hiding beneath all the muddle."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...His crew morphs into nearly 40 characters. The onstage quick-change has an actor add a coat, a dress, an accent or just a personality adjustment. In a particularly imaginative scene, the actors are playing bad actors in a play within the play and a moment later they become the audience heckling the actors. There are plenty of moments like this of playful hilarity. Even though Gerace keeps his cast energetically moving through the story, he also finds the moment to slow it down for touching moments too. The passionate Tepeli (Pip) delivers a declaration of love with raw vulnerability. Tepeli's sincerity is heart-ripping. Throughout the show, the enthusiastic Ferrick (Joe) greets Tepeli by picking him up in a big bear hug. The loving gesture seems spontaneous. The moment is continually uplifting. The entire cast impressed me in their performances. Especially noteworthy, Taflan and Kohl's personality changes are absurdly funny."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...This production is unlike any other I have ever seen of this Dickens play in that it is much faster paced with far less actors and is what I might refer to as a “Theatrical experience”- one that is both educational and entertaining and allows the audience to see just how powerful “live” theater can be, in particular in our smaller theaters where we get “up close and personal”."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...As mentioned earlier, director Jason Gerace really kept this production feeling like it could be performed only by Strawdog Theatre Company. It is not your traditional straight play and the actors are not just there to represent the characters, but to create atmosphere. This play was funny and dramatic just in the correct balance. There was very little about this production that wasn’t enjoyable. On top of all of this, this production of Great Expectations really managed to make me personally relook at the storytelling powers of Dickens. I am slightly ashamed to say that sometimes the 19th century methods of writing have gotten in my way of enjoying a very rich story. Don’t let the title of this play deter you, let it excite your curiosity. Let Strawdog allow you take a second look at the way we all enjoy the fiction written long before our time."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...Adapter Daly has done a savvy job of telescoping the many characters and incidents in the novel into an engrossing, stageworthy narrative. All the action, both indoor and outdoor in many locations, is played out on an inventive all-purpose set designed by Joanna Iwanicka. The set is enclosed by bookcases that can be rotated to change a location. The performers move easily on and off the intimate stage, shifting from character to character by changing items of costume, sometimes slightly offstage and sometimes in full view of the audience. Those costumes are deftly designed with a vaguely 19th look by Brittany Dee Bodley. John Kelly designed the evocative lighting and Emily Guthrie accumulated the vast number of props that enhance the story's Victorian atmosphere. Violinist Hilary Holbrook provides mood-enhancing musical accents throughout the show."