Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...My favorite part long has been the first, wordless five minutes, which consists of a Chicagoan just trying to go to work (i.e. open the frozen door of his cab) in the face of a temperature fit for neither man nor beast. Simple as that. But this is a scene that everyone who lives in this town — well those of us without chauffeurs — immediately recognizes as familiar. Who has not had one of those morning epiphanies that this place in winter is so brutal as to be, well, an absurd place to live? Half the population growth of Tempe, Ariz., or Tampa, Fla., can be so attributed."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"..."Hellcab," first produced in 1992 as a late-night show by the now defunct Famous Door Theatre (it went on to have a nine-year run), has now become a seasonal favorite in a grand-scale Profiles Theatre production, directed by Darrell W. Cox. And this year it comes with a special bonus as Paul Dillon - the actor who created the role of the Chicago taxi driver who comes close to losing his sanity as he drives his way through a nerve-shattering Christmas Eve shift - is back in the driver's seat."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Darrell Cox's terse, intelligent revival of Will Kern's dark comedy shows why it was such a lasting hit in the 1990s. Each charged encounter between Kern's long-suffering cab driver and his many quirky, sometimes disturbed customers crackles with wit. But the play's more than a series of funny scenes; taken as a whole, it's a moving spiritual journey about a man trying to find a glimmer of redemption in a fallen world."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Director Darrell W. Cox imposes narrative coherence on a potentially scattershot script by tracking the supernatural elements associated with spiritual journeys on this traditionally magical night, while last year's outsized 303 taxi has been replaced by a compact Yellow model allowing us a clearer view of its 32 ( by my count ) passengers, as well as our guide's weary—but surprisingly mobile—countenance. Although it clocks in at a mere 80 minutes, Hellcab furnishes its riders with all the adventure and mystery of far more exotic excursions."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...Unlike the original production, in which a handful of cast members returned to the back seat again and again in different guises, Profiles assigns each of Hellcab's fares to a distinct actor, adding up to a total cast of 34 and making this production a nice showcase of sorts for a great many, mostly younger Chicago actors for Dillon to play off of. This parade of eccentrics, drunks and nutjobs, and couples ranging from canoodlers to squabblers to overeager lovers, is portrayed with a varying range of skill and nuance, but they're mostly well anchored."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Hellcab was famously extended from its original twelve-performances to become one of Chicago's longest running at 9 years. Over the years it's taken many forms both here and around the world to much acclaim (though humorously the fares are still set at their 1992 rates). Just the other day I was discussing the advent of self-driving cars with a friendly cab driver, and how that might revolutionize his trade by negating the very need for a cab driver some day. Stepping out of Hellcab, I felt a tinge of regret that this is perhaps destined to be a vanishing industry. Thankfully, Profiles is keeping the spirit alive, and for about the fare of a cab to O'Hare, you can take this rewarding journey too."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...Hellcab left me wanting more; I wanted to leave the show and take a cab home just so that I could search for those same emotions in my drivers face and see if perhaps for just a moment I could make a human connection in the back seat of that car."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...For those of you not aware of what “Hellcab” is, it is a day in the life of a cab driver ( an incredible job by Dillon, who truly makes you feel that he has been out there on the streets, himself) as he wends his way through the city taking an incredible array of passengers to their destinations. This is truly an “ensemble” piece with 33 cast members being used in a play that is about 70 minutes in length. It is a story that gets into the heart and soul of the cab driver ( a movie version of this play was done with Dillon playing the driver role, but was called “Chicago Cab”. "
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Ultimately, though, praise must be heaped upon Hellcab's cast and its direction by Profiles Artistic Director Darrell W. Cox. Though they operate on a fairly barebones stage - all we see is the driver's cab, center stage, the roof removed for visibility and piles of fake snow on the hood, along with some graffiti and masonry on the walls to complete the urban decor - Dillon and his cast bring the material alive, and create a pulsating, exciting rhythm to the show that is as dynamic and multifaceted as the wonderful city that inspired it. To adore Hellcab is to adore not only Chicago, but the vibrant theater scene that the city has inspired; and what better way to spend the holidays than being reminded of such a heartwarming fact?"
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"..."Hellcab" fits perfectly into the intimate Profiles Main Stage performing space. The play's motor never stops running, and the fast pace and rapid mood shifts keep the viewer continually involved. The play isn't exactly an endorsement for Chicago's weather or the quality of its residents. But the audience should be content with the play's high entertainment quotient and comforted by the knowledge that they don't have to face the fatigue and the danger, actual or perceived, of driving a cab in a Windy City winter."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...Poignant, funny, intense, clever, and above all genuine, Hellcab shows us the importance of human interaction and why you should always tip your cab drivers - you never know what they just went through before picking you up."
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...The playwright took a hand at making this a movie. It’s clearly the vignette stuff of live theater, not cinema. Director Darrell W. Cox has a very talented cast to work with and he’s apparently made the most of it. Go see it."