Naperville Reviews
Chicago Tribune- Recommended
"...This is no parody of the suburban life. Smart is no Bruce Norris; he's actually closer to Annie Baker in orientation and in his authorial interest in boomerang children and arrested-adult characters. Smart does not display Baker's radical experimentalism nor poetic nuance. But there is warmth and compassion in his writing of these struggling characters, as the actors and the director, Jeremy Wechsler, clearly understand."
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
"...Smart's ineffable magic is on display once again as Theater Wit presents the Chicago debut of "Naperville," a quirky, deeply poetic homage to the affluent western suburb in which the now New York-based playwright was raised. The production, expertly directed by Jeremy Wechsler, features a cast of five actors whose performances are sheer perfection. But what is most remarkable here is Smart's piercingly honest and humane portrait of ordinary people caught up in all the elements of frustration, loss, guilt, disappointment, brokenheartedness, faith, hope, fear, adaptation and determination that are part of every life. In essence, "Naperville" is a play about the act of breathing - of staying alive. And it is bound to leave you breathless."
Daily Herald- Recommended
"...Smart's dialogue can get a bit precious and the final scene goes on a bit long, but Wechsler's production is gentle and genuine. And the playwright earns kudos for affectionately saluting suburbanites rather than sending them up, as some theatergoers have come to expect from a Chicago storefront."
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
"...It would be easy to portray this locale and its denizens as sitcom-slick buffoons, as if catastrophic disabilities, filial neglect or misdirected revenge were worthy of serious consideration only when afflicting the famous or powerful. Mat Smart's carefully crafted script, brimming with historical references that never for an instant impede the dramatic flow, refuses to traffic in snobbery, though, as do director Jeremy Wexler and his cast, who deliver sensitively nuanced performances reflecting warmth and compassion toward characters weighted down with remorse, but courageously determined to put aside their individual crises and forge ahead-thus ensuring our empathy for what can be viewed as a universally human experience, whether occurring in a Russian dacha, Manhattan penthouse or your neighborhood java joint."
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
"...I found myself reminded of Griffin Theatre’s 2014 production of Samuel D. Hunter’s Pocatello, another ensemble portrait of an accidental community in a very precisely rendered small-town space; not coincidentally, Joe Schermoly designed both that show’s quasi–Olive Garden and Naperville’s on-the-money Caribou, which holds a few surprises. For all its writerly mannerisms, Smart’s play is a loving appreciation of an underappreciated place to call home."
Theatre By Numbers- Highly Recommended
"...This is a play that creates hope in the heart of the viewer, only to dash it and then build it up into something better. That's the way one begins anew. That is what this play is about. And the audience gets to go on that journey over and over again with this crew of five on a voyage of discovery into what makes real life so inherently dramatic. I cannot recommend this show enough. It is well-crafted in every aspect. The writing is really good. The design work is amazing. The directing and acting are the real deal. All the way around it's tremendous."
Stage and Cinema- Somewhat Recommended
"...The author's not-so-smart idea, I guess, is that small souls can still tell good tales. Jeremy Wechsler's painstaking (but not pain-giving) staging honors the play's Caribou-cute credo: "Life is short. Stay awake for it." As they process their pain, Theater Wit's quintet efficiently deliver the arch sentiments, patented petty patter, formulaic friction, and, occasionally, lovely revelations of a very predetermined drama. But it's all too easy to sympathize with T.C., who wants them to leave before he gets fired for expanding the store's hours. We need to go too."
ChicagoCritic- Not Recommended
"...I never for a moment relate to any of these weird characters as they come off as playwright inventions that don't represent actual suburban folks. Howard is the only one I could relate to, the rest are cliched-ridden weirdos. The last scene stretches credulity and made me wish this play would end. I'm not sure who the audience is for Naperville? There are few laughs and contrived situations that seem to hint that something is making Naperville folks strange? Most of the performances were a tad over the top. Only Mike Tepeli, as Howard, was credible. Maybe suburban folks will relate to Naperville, maybe?"
Around The Town Chicago- Somewhat Recommended
"...Theater Wit's production of "Naperville" was kind of disappointing. It really wasn't about Naperville, although a little bit of history and some site specific references were mentioned. In fact, since it was set in a Caribou Coffee, it could have been written about any small town anywhere. I just couldn't empathize with any of the characters"
Chicago Theatre Review- Highly Recommended
"...This new play is a heartfelt look at a disparate group of individuals who, after a day of debating, finally realize how much alike they really are in the end. It’s a refreshingly positive slice-of-life comic drama. It’s about the quiet places and the tender moments. With honesty and empathy, Jeremy Wechsler guides his talented cast in exploring the insecurities and dreams that are in every person. As in some of his other plays, Mat Smart creates a microcosm of society housed within the comfy confines of America’s most revered contemporary institution: the coffee house. In this gallant production, it’s the people, as well as the cappuccino, who demand just the right right amount of foam."
NewCity Chicago- Somewhat Recommended
"...The cast does their best with the play’s tonal inconsistencies which pit the near-absurdity of Andrew Jessop’s relentlessly cheery, serially depressed barista and Charlie Strater’s manically enthusiastic preacher against Abby Pierce’s barely-holding-it-together divorcee, Laura T. Fisher’s impossible-to-please mother and Mike Tepeli’s overprotective mama’s boy. While Strater and Jessop generally get the bigger laughs, Smart’s romcom fixation means we spend a lot of time with Pierce and Tepeli who are burdened with the task of portraying a ready-for-Hollywood meet cute on the floor of a public restroom."