A Moon for the Misbegotten at First Folio Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...Grennan, of course, isn't the freakish giantess envisioned by O'Neill. But that actually works in her favor—in a less limited environment, one can easily imagine keen-witted and clear-eyed Josie finding a man worthy of her. In lieu of that, she adopts the role of village slattern to mask her loneliness. Similarly, Gray's Tyrone performs his debonair soused roué routine to cover up his overwhelming filial guilt. When these two damaged souls take the huge step of letting down their emotional guards in the second act, that sagging front porch becomes a sacred temple."

Daily Herald - Highly Recommended

"...There's never a false note from this cast, which also includes Patrick Halley as Josie's self-righteous brother Mike and Ehren Fournier as the Hogan's disapproving neighbor T. Steadman Harder. Movingly acted by Grennan and Gray, the second act revelation and confession between soul mates Josie and Jim offers about as rich an emotional payoff as I've seen on stage this year."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Christian Gray long ago proved himself a dependable comic actor, equally capable of finding the funny in Shaw, Shakespeare, and Wodehouse. But he reveals unsuspected depth and range in this fast-paced revival of Eugene O'Neill's classic, playing the tortured, alcoholic Broadway swell Jim Tyrone. It helps that Gray shares the stage with actors like Larry Neumann Jr.--no stranger to powerful, nuanced performances--and Erin Noel Grennan, who's at home with both the comic and serious facets of the play."

ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended

"...Filled with O’Neill’s poetic language spoken in Irish dialects, A Moon for the Misbegotten is a powerful and emotionally draining tragedy that saddens us deeply. This is a great play, masterfully directed by Alison C. Vesely, with three of the finest performances by Larry Neumann, Jr., Erin Noel Grennan and Christian Gray—that I’ve seen on stage in Chicago in many a moon! O’Neill would be proud of this production. It is one of the finest shows of 2009!"

Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended

"...Larry Neumann, Jr. takes the top honors with his gritty, incorrigible and delightfully scheming portrayal of Phil Hogan. His Irish brogue is thick but completely understandable, and he manages to create the most interesting three-dimensional character on stage. The description of Josie Hogan as an "ugly, overgrown lump of a woman" is wildly out of type for the very appealing and lady-like Erin Noel Grennan, who nonetheless gives her tomboy character spunk and perseverance."