Old Wicked Songs presented by Signal Ensemble Theatre at Chopin Theatre

Daily Herald - Recommended

"...Old Wicked Songs makes for a pleasant, if predictable duet. Jon Marans' two-character play about a hotshot American piano prodigy who's lost his passion and the aging Austrian professor who re-ignites it, is a sentimental, formulaic drama about conflict, reconciliation and the redemptive power of music."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Marans gives such honest nuances to these cliched characters and leads them so bravely into the darkest corners of Vienna's anti-Semitic history that the slightest suspension of disbelief—buoyed by the pitch-perfect performances of Vincent L. Lonergan and Shawn Pfautsch—allows nearly everything onstage to ring true."

Windy City Times - Highly Recommended

"...the major factor that renders this Signal Ensemble production superior to its big-star, big-budget predecessors is that Vincent L. Lonergan and Shawn Pfautsch are not only accomplished actors, but more than that, they are also musicians—and, as such, capable of vocal and instrumental melodic improvisations revealing subtleties otherwise eclipsed by Marans’ didactic proclamations. Thus, instead of simply being told, we are shown the relationship unfolding between these dissimilar men through their common language. And this is what rivets our attention for the time the author allots them to find grounds for accord."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...Songs could be excruciating, but the play, which feels a tad overworked in the metaphor department as well as overlong (the penultimate scene felt, and was applauded, as if it was the end) is at its best a pleasingly simple study of two characters—who seem like honest-to-God real people—realized instinctively and delicately here. This never feels like an also-ran in the actors’ hands, whether they’re playing the piano or off each other."

ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended

"...Old Wicked Songs deals as much with ethnic and national identities as it does with personal demons in both characters. We see how conflict is resolved through the power of redemption through music. This finely crafted drama is emotionally heartfelt. Rich in music and excellent character development, Old Wicked Songs is a theatrical tour de force and a true work of art. Lonergan and Pfautsch’s respectful and truthful performances are their finest work to date."