Gidget at City Lit Theater

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...The production doesn't take itself too seriously (a smart move by McKown, who is the director, as well as co-adapter), but it needs more period music underscoring. Music after all, even pre-Beach Boys, is just as important to the surfing lore as Gidget herself."

Windy City Times - Recommended

"...Playgoers recalling the ethos reflected in this lightweight cultural artifact will bask in its nostalgic portrait of a time when Malibu was still a community playground and not a theme-park for Hollywood celebrities, when surfing had its own arcane jargon ( “pearl dives,” “boneyards” and “shooting the curl” ) , and even hormone-riddled boys declared “good girls” off limits, following the example of their mentor, The Great Kahoona, a jaded drifter ( “on the oldish side—around the end of the twenties or so” ) whose avuncular attentions ease the naive surfer-wannabe’s scary journey to maturity."

Chicago Free Press - Highly Recommended

"...City Lit, true to its source material and audiences, ultimately, presents a delightful precursor to summer fun with this slightly tougher, more engaging “Gidget” than you may have ever imagined existed."

Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...The first-person address works in those heartening and hilarious moments, perfectly pitched by the game and gamine Kramnich, when we recognize ourselves in Gidget’s exclamations of the unfettered joy and profound despair only a teenager can experience. But the sound of one person talking—no matter how engaging that person is—can become numbing."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...The cute show is richly played as a cutie and charmer by the beguiling Sabrina Kramnich in the title role. This nostalgic show has its moments despite being a tad too long. The staging by director Marissa McKown on Rebecca Hamlin’s representative set works to convey the surfing atmosphere."