Pinkolandia presented by 16th Street Theater at Berwyn Cultural Center

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Sadly, the play feels half finished, full of fascinating fragments that don't quite cohere into a full story. Likewise, Thome's characters are a mixed bag, some three-dimensional (Beny, her younger sister, and their mother), others barely two. Happily, director Ann Filmer has packed her cast with strong actors. Maritza Cervantes gives a star turn as Beny. And Stephanie Diaz communicates well the predicament faced by Beny's fiery mom, torn between her memories and the practicalities of survival. "

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...Pinkolandia has a tendency to become juvenile, focusing too much on the unlikable Benny and not delivering enough on the parents (and the effortless performances from the two Diazes). Cervantes is not believable as a 12-year-old, and in compensating with exaggerated mannerisms makes the already naive Beny irritating and unsympathetic. While it's difficult to anchor a play on a foolish character, a great deal about her rings true:the budding teenage mind that thinks it's "figured it out," is ready to "fight the system," and appropriates the genuine pains of her parents for her own glory."

Around The Town Chicago - Recommended

"...If you were a child, forced to leave your country as an even younger child, not knowing why this happened to your family, how would you cope? Many exiles have had to leave their country for political reasons, leaving behind other family members and lots of memories. In the premiere of Andrea Thome’s “Pinkolandia”, now on the stage at 16th Street Theater, that little gem in Berwyn ( along with three other theaters at the same time in other parts of the country), we are told such a story.