Incident at Vichy at Redtwist Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...Of course, this is Miller, so didactic back-and-forth takes up a good bit of the 85-minute running time. Are the Germans too cultured to actually be doing all the things hinted at? The actor Monceau (Jim Morley, in a touching and dignified turn) certainly thinks so - why, German audiences gave him some of the best curtain calls of his career. But Von Berg witnessed the murder of a beloved musician (broadly hinted to be his lover) at the hands of the Nazis in Vienna. "What one used to conceive a human being to be will have no room on this earth," Trager's anguished but paralyzed genteel scion notes."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...In this sharp and moving revival, director Ian Frank uses Redtwist Theatre's close quarters to claustrophobic effect, creating a menacing atmosphere of tense whispers and flickering lightbulbs. A uniformly excellent cast communicates the terror of the situation as well as the continued relevance of Miller's argument about our responsibilities to the oppressed."

Windy City Times - Highly Recommended

"...Armed with the benefit of hindsight, we may view with incredulity the complacency of a civilian populace assured of their personal immunity from harm-but did I mention that playgoers in Redtwist's cloakroom-sized auditorium are also seated on bare wooden benches, alley-style, separated from the hapless victims by mere inches? Under Ian Frank's tight-as-a-fist direction, however, a superlatively selected ensemble unperturbed at being viewed within their claustrophobic confines from 180 degrees, featuring Tim Parker and Jeremy Trager as the playwright's chief spokesmen, generates palpable suspense sufficient to inspire our collective endorsement at each small heroic act of resistance."

ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended

"...Redtwist's production brings out Incident at Vichy's full dramatic potential. Daniel Friedman's dim lighting makes the tiny storefront uncomfortable from the beginning, and Ray Rehberg's mysterious sonic landscape heightens the horror further. Trager's performance as Von Berg captures his Noel Coward-like wit (along with a fabulous costume by Clare McKellaston), and his underlying dismay and terror. Von Berg has a few lines, including one about his discomfort with women, which imply he may actually belong to a persecuted demographic."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...They are currently offering a very provocative production of Arthur Miller's seldom done, "Incident at Vichy", that takes us into a French "police station" during the German occupation of World War II. This is truly a "balck box" production with very little set (if one can call black walls with benches in the middle, a set). In fact, the audience is seated on the two walls, facing each others with the actors in the center. The action, well staged by Director Ian Frank, are as close as one can be without being touched by them."