Hotel Aphrodite Reviews
Chicago Tribune- Recommended
"...And c'mon — how can you not root for a show that features not only a recurring pair of fetishists (Josh Zagoren and Becky Crawford, negotiating everything from "furries" to safari gear with comic aplomb) but an interlude where scurrilous objects have to be quickly gathered together and tossed into the "English Comedy Room" as "Yakety Sax" blares? It's like "Fawlty Towers" on Cinemax."
Chicago Reader- Somewhat Recommended
"...As an earth-mom therapist races to clean up her business in preparation for a visit from its new ultraconservative management, the plot is essentially La Cage aux Folles. But no matter—it's all a loose framing device for Matt Engle's Factory Theater ensemble to ham it up with high jinks, like coming up with more comedically niche fetish rooms for this never-ending Willy Wonka Fuck Factory. Ninety minutes of such manic silliness is a bit much; still, the subversively witty cast mines some new gems out of cliches."
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
"...Hotel Aphrodite is never reflective, self-aware, or makes any sort of point. Thank God. Better for a comedy that justifies itself with good writing and great laughs. Honestly, it’s far from perfect, but you won’t really care. If it were a movie (and I think it could be), it’d be a favorite to rewatch on a cold dark night when bright colors, big smiles and cock rings are all you need."
Chicago Stage and Screen- Recommended
"...The Factory Theater’s new comedy Hotel Aphrodite, conceptualized by Allison Cain and written by Angela Martinez, begins how an audience could only hope: with a sung disco-funk pre-show announcement. The announcement does not match the world of the play it precedes, except that it’s ridiculous and funny. “To hell with rules!” the announcement seems to say. That’s one of Hotel Aphrodite’s strengths: shaking up the rules of farce."