Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"..."Native Son," which is superbly and unstintingly directed at Court by Seret Scott, is a very difficult work to stage. The chronology is scrambled and the narrative voice internalized and nonlinear. It is also a very tough piece for an audience to take, not so much because of the searing racism depicted in the piece (that is familiar history to many) but because of its fatalistic patina, its repetition of the theme (carefully foregrounded by Kelley) that says, in essence, that when Bigger Thomas looks in the mirror he can see only a reflection created by the others and thus is as compelled to enact his pre-ordained destiny. He's not unlike Sophocles' "Oedipus the King." In "Native Son," there is none of the hope to be found in "A Raisin in the Sun," another masterwork set in these same Chicago blocks, which surely explains why we see so much more of the latter than the former. But "Native Son" is one of the most important works ever written in the city."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Throughout the first half of this brisk 90-minute production, that tone pervades-an odd choice given the psychological and emotional depth of the story, depths Scott's uniformly excellent, serious-minded cast could handily probe. Kelley adds some gravitas by flinging Bigger into interweaving scenes that jump unpredictably in time, as though he's buffeted by forces beyond his control. But doing so also obscures the narrative and diverts the novel's harrowing avalanche toward the inevitable."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Kelley’s lean and muscular script—developed over several years by American Blues Theater, where she’s an ensemble member (the premiere at Court Theatre is a coproduction between the two companies)—chops up Wright’s linear narrative into an impressionistic, episodic collection of scenes. Smartly, Kelley opens with Bigger (Jerod Haynes) accidentally killing Mary (Nora Fiffer), the daughter of his white employer, immediately setting the stakes for those unfamiliar with the novel before flashing back to trace how Bigger got there."
ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended
"...The playwright Nambi E. Kelley has created an adaptation with both balance and ingenuity that give the audience time to digest the events before them. The double consciousness, or sense of looking at oneself through the eyes of others, reveals Bigger’s contempt and struggle in a world that wants nothing more than complete control of the powerless. The music, sound effects, and realistic set envelop you throughout the performance. This important story with sensational performances – is as relevant today as it was when it was written almost 75 years ago. From the story of Emmitt Till, who in 1955 was murdered for flirting with a white woman, to the recent shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black man in Ferguson Mississippi, to the countless tragedies perpetrated by the false premise that all black men are dangerous, Native Son captures the tone and defines the landscape young black men have dealt with for decades."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Native Son, the play, is an ensemble piece with fine work by all, especially sporting performances by James Leaming, Jeff Bim, Joe Dempsey and Edgar Miguel Sanchez. The story reaches into out hearts like a stab wound as we know that doom will consume Bigger eventually. Hopelessness is the most debilitating sickness that poverty produces. Unfortunately, there are still too many ‘native sons’ left in the ghetto. This production is important for a new generation to become aware of the plight of these native sons. It is powerful theatre superbly presented."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The ensemble of Shanesia Davis, Tosin Morohunfola, Edgar Miguel Sanchez, Joe Dempsey Nora Fiffer, James Leaming, Carmen Roman, Tracy Bonner, and Jeff Plim are outstanding and provide the character framework to support the story. This adaptation, skillfully directed by Seret Scott, captures the tone, the language, and the sociopolitical and cultural landscape that still plagues many young black males today."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...We live in a time of supposed racial progress, a era where segregated water fountains, lynchings, and voting violations are a thing of past…yet where housing segregation, shocking income disparity, and racially charged killings are still commonplace to a depressing degree. “Native Son” is a bold challenge to those societal norms, and Court Theatre is to be commended for confronting such controversial material in such an honest, unapologetic manner."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Recommended
"...The main reason to see the Court production is the scorching performance by Jerod Haynes as Bigger. The playwright may not have given the character a great deal of character nuance but Haynes delivers a totally committed, physically and vocally. Joe Dempsey is all too convincing as a racist private investigator and policeman. Nora Fiffer is very good as the kittenish young woman who teases Bigger into smothering her, and James Leaming and Carmen Roman are fine as the girl’s wealthy parents, who fancy themselves enlightened in matters of race. Eric Lynch does what he can with the role of the Black Rat and Tracey Bonner, Shanesia Davis, Tosin Morohunfola, and Edgar Sanchez play assorted black characters—family and friends—effectively."
