Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"..."No More Sad Things," the world premiere at the Richard Christiansen Theater at the Biograph, is about a holiday romance on Maui - a kind of Pacific version of "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" except that Stella is a 32-year-old woman named Jessiee from Akron, Ohio, and her collaborator in rejuvenation is a very attractive cliff-diver named Kahekili who just happens to be 15 years old."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Elly Green's production for Sideshow Theatre brilliantly capitalizes on every subtle shade of melancholy in Jung's darkly comedic script, but there's an authentic joie de vivre in play too. Katy Carolina Collins and George Infantado create a discordant dynamic that works seemingly by magic. Can an emotional crisis really be uplifting?"
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Director Elly Green's expertise at delving the chemistry lying beneath the surface of a play's dramatic action enables Katy Carolina Collins and George Infantado—assisted by Narciso Lobo as a shape-shifting ukulele-strumming tourist "guidebook"—to conjure seductive magic from the most banal of colonialist fantasies. No matter how much cynics ( like me ) may want to sneer at the sheer sweetness of Jung's fable, ultimately, we can't help but be won over by her message of hope for lonely star-gazers in search of their place in the universe."
Edge - Recommended
"...Sideshow Theatre Company opens its 2015-16 season with the co-world premiere of playwright Hansol Jung's "No More Sad Things," in conjunction with Boise Contemporary Theater. With warmth, sly humor, and a capable cast, Sideshow's latest offering is a wonderful way to open what promises to be another fascinating Sideshow season."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...But with a recurring theme of Maui's star-packed sky tying into the high-school boyfriend's affinity for constellations and their ties to myth, Jung taps into ideas about the way fate or chance can sometimes shunt us into an unexpected corner of the firmament. In Sideshow's production, No More Sad Things is a beguiling, winningly acted fable about the kind of week-long acquaintance that can change the trajectory of your life."
Stage and Cinema - Not Recommended
"...It's a barren discovery to watch two remarkably ill-suited seekers discover why they never should have met. It's enough to trigger the worst rhetorical question you can ask after a show: "So what?""
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"...To Jung's credit, she doesn't pretend this is a relationship that could or should last. I suppose she takes it for granted that she doesn't need to point out how exploitative it is, either. There were some moments that are genuinely funny, and it's possible that other people might find something wistful in the more poetic moments of her writing. Perhaps the tone was off; I could buy No More Sad Things as a gritty drama set in the dark side of paradise about people who turn ugly under stress and lack of responsibility, similar to Hunter Thompson's The Rum Diary. But that's the opposite of this production's vision."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...There's something soothing about the sound of the tide coming in while a barefoot man strums a ukulele, especially when northerly winds have begun whistling through Chicago. Unfortunately, the title alone of Hansol Jung's "No More Sad Things" as good as guarantees some melancholy even in balmy Maui, where Jessiee (Katy Carolina Collins) has flown for a spontaneous respite from the snows of the Midwest. Denial of life's sad things, we sense from the beginning, will have about the same longevity as a week's vacation."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...Sideshow Theatre offers a nice alternative to the onslaught of holiday-themed productions happening all over Chicago. This homey love story has all the elements of a folktale, while exploring the various definitions of the word, “recovery.” While Hansol Jung’s play isn’t groundbreaking or earth-shattering, there’s a certain novel quality, and it’s certainly entertaining and filled with love. As directed by Elly Green, this production offers a handful of interesting characters, a number of unexpected plot elements and laughs as well as several sincere moments of awe."
The Fourth Walsh - Somewhat Recommended
"...NO MORE SAD THINGS has charming moments delivered by the versatile Lobo. He playfully opens the show strumming the ukulele. He is billed as the 'guidebook' and often spews out touristy information. Lobo also smoothly morphs into various characters like a geeky 15-year old and an airplane pilot with a drawl. His light-hearted presence is a buoy in a sea of chaos. Although NO MORE SAD THINGS tries hard to be fun and witty, it feels more-sad-things than anything else."
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...No More Sad Things is the sort of show that is impossible to forget. Beautifully and masterfully written, designed, directed, and acted, it is difficult to imagine any way in which this play might be improved upon. Do yourself a favor and join the cast of No More Sad Things on their brief, bewitching trip to Maui for a breathtaking theatrical experience."
NewCity Chicago - Recommended
"...Jung's play, as directed by Elly Green, focuses on the two main characters, Jessiee (Katy Carolina Collins) and Kahekili (George Infantado), who tell the story of their meeting and subsequent week together in Maui each from their own perspective. Yet this is not your average boy-meets-girl love story. When Jessiee stomps her foot and demands that they go back and tell the story in order, the audience becomes aware that what they have been witnessing has in fact already happened, a reveal that accounts for the frequent interruption of the narrative by poignant scenes from Jessiee's relationship with a teenage boy named Benjamin, played by Narciso Lobo."
