Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Raven Theatre's production, under the direction of artistic director Michael Menendian, is sometimes riveting, while also a bit frustrating. The brutality of this tale, which Williams based on a horrifying real story from a Pennsylvania prison, receives no quarter. Given that a jury in Milwaukee just recommended criminal charges against staff at the Milwaukee County Jail in the dehydration death of an inmate last year, it feels all too relevant."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...Raven Theatre's well-acted production, directed by Michael Menendian, effectively juggles the play's elements of harsh realism and dreamlike expressionism, using stylized movement choreographed by Breon Arzell and eerily atmospheric lighting designed by Diane D. Fairchild. The cast-including Chuck Spencer as the warden, Brandon Greenhouse as a conscience-stricken "canary" (jailhouse informant), and Sophia Menendian as the warden's secretary, an outsider who finds herself trapped in a hellish underworld-is excellent."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...It was a coup for TimeLine Theatre Company to acquire the rights to this London, Houston and Broadway triumph in 2000; now it's the same for Raven Theatre to reprise it in Michael Menendian's urgent revival, an impressive staging in its own right. Consummately cast, inspired to a froth, and only sporadically failing to combust, the 13-person ensemble delivers visceral, performances that are both dead-on and recall the period."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...The dramatic outcome is presented effectively. Not About Nightingales gives a sliver of the style and themes Williams' championed. Here he gives Jim Allison the best dialogue that was masterfully presented by Brandon Greenhouse who, together with Joshua J, Volkers anchored a game cast. Chuck Spencer is the deliciously evil warden."
Around The Town Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...The inmates in the prison were of various ethnicities and homosexuals, so it stayed off “the boards” until 1998 when the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain put it on. In 1999, it opened on Broadway, receiving six Tony Nominations. I am sure that this fact was one in Raven Theatre Company deciding to bring this play to their stage. Please understand that my rating is based on the entire project as a whole entertainment, not the individual parts of same. The years have flown by and the subject matter has been done many times over, so despite the sharpness of Williams, I found that this particular work of his might have been better off left where it was found."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...This early work by Tennessee Williams is important, not for its stereotypical story and characters, but in the way it foreshadows the brilliance of a writer who, in 1938, was still a work in progress. In this play we catch a glimpse of an up-and-coming genius, an angry young playwright, whose impassioned attempt at expressionistic playwriting was just beginning to emerge. Williams’ fourth play is like a living newspaper, more intent upon exposing the injustices of prison life than creating art. That would come later. But this production is significant to theatergoers because it’s one of Williams’ first plays and it serves as a precursor of what was to come."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...The difficult subject matter, brought to life with such raw impact, at points makes the play heavy-going and hard to watch. But the import of the message conveyed commands, and this production deserves, our full attention. Which of course is Williams' point."
Irish American News - Highly Recommended
"...Superb choreography, with mounting tension throughout, the Raven has managed to transport us into the brute heart of prison injustice. Under the excellent directorship of Michael Menendian, Not About Nightingales reaches a powerful, yet despairing, crescendo of desperation. Menendian never lets up with the driving passion of Williams' insightful, passionate, expose of the criminal system. It's a true theatrical experience when talented actors are sensitively orchestrated by an equally talented director."
Third Coast Review - Recommended
"...Raven Theatre's new production of Not About Nightingales is powerfully directed by artistic director Michael Menendian. The play is a more than a bit melodramatic, but the strong performances and Breon Arzell's choreography, especially of the prisoners' marches, lift the play above the mundane."
Splash Magazine - Recommended
"...Where the play - and this performance of it - succeeds best is in the pitting of the ruthless "free" man against the brave leaders/ yearning lovers who are the "criminals". As can be seen more fully developed in his later works, the underdog is clearly portrayed as by far the more fully developed human."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Aided by Ray Toler's realistic two-level set, director Michael Menendian depicts the island prison as an American concentration camp. Chuck Spencer as Whalen skillfully juxtaposes the character's surface sentimentality and innate viciousness, alternately fondling the rubber ducky he plans to give his daughter and the rubber hose he uses on his more refractory charges."
