Frankenstein in Love presented by Will Act For Food at CIC Theater

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Gregory Gerhard's Will Act for Food production turns a tiny stage into a haunted house. Extreme performances, claustrophobic blocking, and assorted body parts amplify Barker's Nazi nastiness. It's a weird graft of Jean Genet onto Edward Gorey--political satire with a gag reflex. Anyone with a misanthropic mindset will savor the excess. Everyone else may just be grossed out."

Windy City Times - Recommended

"...This brand of neo-Grand Guignol spectacle is difficult to pull off, especially given Barker's affinity for schoolboy humor that could easily topple the suspension of disbelief into Mel Brooks farce. But though the plot doesn't kick in until the second-act entrance of the icy Doctor F, the play's grotesquely-upbeat ending justifies any vertigo we may have endured on our way there."

Chicago Stage Review - Somewhat Recommended

"...The awkward script yields some clever and even lovely lines, foreshadowing the better things to come from Barker. You don’t buy into the story per se, but you do buy into the fun created in the show’s better moments. And Will Act For Food Theater Company’s production of Frankenstein in Love is enough fun to make for a creepy little excursion, especially for die-hard horror fans during the Halloween season."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...Hats off to the cast members, who get great mileage out of their foray into this sadistic shitshow. Pseudo-narrator Claire Tuft proves a stalwart guide through the script’s nearly unnavigable terrain; and Lawrence Garner adds a welcome hint of ripened restraint as distinguished Dr. Frankenstein. Unlike Psycho, this pure-camp creation can’t be put on pause; if you weary of senseless slaughter, you’ll seriously, seriously want to pass. But if a night in hell is your idea of a good time, you might as well go all in."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended

"...Frankenstein in Love is a good Halloween adventure. The stage and the audience are not separated. The ghoulish characters weave in and out of the aisles carrying dismembered limbs, wielding pistols, dripping blood and spewing out zinger one-liners. Costume designer Rachel Sypniewski not only creates a stunning wardrobe, but must rip and stain all the garments in just the right places to offset the blood drained spirits that will inhabit the clothes."