Dante Dies!! (and then things get weird) presented by Sideshow Theatre Company at Chicago Dramatists

Daily Herald - Recommended

"...Chicago Dramatists artistic associate Walt McGough freely adapts the 14th-century poem - an allegory concerning faith and the consequences in the afterlife of an individual's actions on earth - which together with "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso" makes up "The Divine Comedy." McGough's liberal adaptation can be puzzling in that not all the characters are drawn as distinctly as they could be. But it's accessible, and audiences needn't be well-versed in Dante's comedy to follow the narrative and appreciate its message of faith and acceptance."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...what he gets exactly right is the poet's poignant and impossible wish to reunite with a loved one irrevocably lost. Playing all the parts, Matt Fletcher shows an engaging versatility as the various sinners, but is most compelling as the lost and heartsore hero."

Windy City Times - Highly Recommended

"...So drop any skepticism you have now because playwright Walt McGough and star Matt Fletcher pull off an amazing theatrical feat with Dante Dies!! As a funny, poignant examination of grieving, death and hellish bureaucracy, Dante Dies!! is both a silly and cerebral delight drawing from both the Orpheus myth and Dante's fictional journey into Hell to find his beloved Beatrice."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...The writing in McGough’s dramatization is thin to be sure, but it contains just enough forks to move the action and enough streetwise hooks to contextualize the contemporary voices he assigns to Dante."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...This one person show is an ambitious undertaking staring Matt Fletcher. It is a true tour de force for newcomer Matt Fletcher. He plays Dante and multiple roles in a dramatic work loosely based on Dante’s “Inferno. With clever props, smart characterizations of all the evil dregs in hell, Matt Fletcher is able to make terrific quick transitions from Dante to his nemeses and back again."