Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...A onetime couple while they shot the first films, Kate and Sam have since called it quits. (Booster's script is interspersed with brief but hilarious scenes from the movies, packed with overheated dialogue such as "I'm half-ghost. I don't need magic to outrun a mortal like you!" that director Sarah Gitenstein stages just perfectly under a black light.) Barreling into the mix comes a teenage superfan (Stephanie Shum), a friend of Bill's who views the abduction as a means to enforce couples therapy. What's so interesting is how the play navigates its way through the script's one-liners while maintaining a sense that something very disturbing is unfolding."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Her cast's character work is excellent across the board, but Rob Grabowski stands out as the sympathetically creepy kidnapper. For anyone with a garden apartment lurking in their past, John Wilson's cluttered set may cause flashbacks."
Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...You'd expect a show running a bare 90 minutes ( with an intermission ) to be honed to its last second of onstage time, but since its gestation process apparently excluded assessments of the overall dramatic arc, we are unable to believe that we are viewing anything but a board game for would-be playmakers. What we can believe, however, are the depths of calculation and compassion brought by the consistantly underrated Mary Williamson to Kate's stratagem securing her survival during the last 30 minutes of a comic-book thriller as artificial as the culture it proposes to criticize."
Centerstage - Recommended
"...Why were my expectations low? Making fun of the entertainment industry is easy. Roughly fifty percent of said industry is in fact devoted to making fun of itself. Talks shows, magazines and approximately every website in the world devote themselves unflaggingly to this task. Eventually it gets pretty boring. The task of saying something new about our relationship with the celluloid demigods is virtually impossible. But I was pleasantly surprised that Booster’s play, developed in close collaboration with its cast, manages to make a statement that is, if not strictly original, thoughtful and entertaining."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Booster’s themes play through the story without ever committing to a single meaning or sacrificing entertainment value. Some plays resonate because they’re universal and timeless, or deliver astonishing performances; others perfectly capture a facet of our time. Kate & Sam Are Not Breaking Up is the latter, and the further away from the performance I get, the more I appreciate every question it raised."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Let me say that theses fully developed characters are expertly performed by the game cast. Rob Grabowski deftly depicts the idealistic loser while Stephanie Shum is superb as the hyper psycho. Nick Delehanty presents Sam as a shallow yet loving soul. Mary Williamson is the tough, smart and honest film star determined to resist her captives. These four players were terrific in this engrossing world premiere. Those who enjoy dark violent comedies will savor Kate and Sam Are Not Breaking Up - I know I did."
Around The Town Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...The New Colony is one of our younger theater companies, bringing original works to their stage. The actors work with the playwright in working the script as they rehears until they have completed their story. Their current production, “Kate and Sam Are NOT Breaking up” was conceived/written by Joel Kim Booster and his cast of four actors have added their touch along the route, from idea to opening night. I have seen some of their other works and find them to be a sharp, bright troupe with solid motivation in bringing us quality theater at affordable prices. This particular production is not up to their usual standards, but is still worth the cost of a ticket ( many shows have less story at a higher price)."
