Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...This piece, co-directed by Schwimmer and Heidi Stillman, certainly hits with force. On opening night, moist eyes were everywhere and narrative twists were often accompanied by vocal exclamations of shock from the people in the seats."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...Co-directed by Schwimmer and Heidi Stillman (who even manage to find bursts of humor) with a deft use of multimedia imagery (by Bridges Media) on Dan Ostling's minimalist set, "Trust" keeps you engaged in spite of its mostly paint-by-numbers script. And if you want to see a startling young actress in the early part of what surely will be a major career, catch Torem now."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...in conveying the experience of "a parent" and "a child," the script erases the uniqueness of this parent and this child. We end up relating to them as representatives rather than individuals. What's missing are the telling details, contradictions, and frequently maddening idiosyncrasies that bring a character to life and let us experience the full monstrousness of the crimes they suffer."
Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Under the direction of Schwimmer and fellow Lookingglasser Heidi Stillman, the caveat is presented clinically, our rake's progress—its banality-of-evil factor heightened by Raymond Fox's boyish visage—tracked with an obvious eye to middle-America demographics ( beginning with its setting in—where else?—an affluent, squeaky-clean, conspicuously white suburban community ) . But this cut-and-dried approach makes for a noticeable absence of suspense and—except for the videotronic scene changes—a waste of the Lookingglass playhouse's extensive technical budget."
Talkin Broadway - Recommended
"...Whatever theatrical or dramatic flaws one might find in Trust, it ultimately delivers, through the power of its final scenes and the intentions of its creators to educate on the dangers of online predatory practices and to spark individual change to prevent them. Education is a very legitimate purpose of theater (even if it is seldom practiced in professional theater) and the people behind Trust are to be commended for giving audiences not only such an enlightening lesson, but through the efforts of their social agency partners, the resources to take action."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...What sets “Trust” apart from Lifetime movie specials and CSI investigations (aspects of both can be easily recognized here) is the central focus on the family and how each member (particularly Philip R. Smith as a father pushed to the edge of reason) attempts to cope with the crime. Never shying away from a dramatic exchange, the engaging and cinematic script (adapted from a screenplay by Bellin and Rob Festinger) pushes the entire cast into dark psychological places. That the acting here takes the script to the next level at every turn is a testament to the dedication and commitment of the actors."
Chicago Stage Review - Highly Recommended
"...Lookingglass Theatre presents an eye-opening look at this everyday nightmare in their world premier production of Trust. Playwrights David Schwimmer and Andy Bellin deliver this critically important cautionary tale with a palatably ‘after school TV special’ structure that draws you into the familiarity of the characters and then knocks you over with the unthinkable crisis."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...
Schwimmer and Bellin lay out their case study with little elegance or style; their dialogue reads like a crime-prevention brochure. The authors put up a collection of empty signposts about the sexualization of youth: Annie’s little sister choreographs a “Single Ladies” routine; Will creates an ad campaign for an American Apparel–like company. They also drop a number of hyperspecific cultural references (Zac Efron, Robert Pattinson, Entourage) that seem intended to prove they know modern youth but only serve to make this new work feel instantly dated. A talented cast strives to infuse the stock characters with artificial life, but Trust fails to earn our confidence."
ShowBizChicago - Recommended
"...What results is a deliberative and conscientious assay of the interface between media and family, culture and victim in the backwash of sexual perpetration. Schwimmer and Bellin do not offer any of the prompt, hook-em, book-em, cook-em answers served regularly by the Crime Scene Investigators. Instead, and thanks in part to an adroit design palette by Bridges Media, questions of blame and conditioning sprout amidst images of half-clothed models, Beyonce music videos, and binging funnels."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...The acting here is excellent with Smith, Fox and especially Allison Torem in nuanced and deep performances. The theatrical experience of combining projection, video, photos, texting and live chat worked to give an authenticity to the story. This powerful drama is both a warning to parents and a call to action for families to keep communication open with their children. We need to know who and what are kids are texting, talking and Internet chatting with. We can’t afford to let our children live on a private, uncensored world of hi-tech. Take you kids, eleven or older to see this show and then have a talk with them about chat rooms and meeting strangers online. They’ll listen…hopefully."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...The show however belongs to the father and his daughter and Smith and Torem are marvelous in making their characters very real. I for one found myself on the edge of my chair with tears streaming down my cheek as I felt the hurt and guilt that they were feeling. Each one suffering in their own special way and at the end, although the predator has not been punished, we know that both father and daughter can learn to love each other again in that special way a father and his little girl do."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...Whether the script would have that same emotional heft with an even slightly less seasoned cast is a valid, question. Annie’s parents, her best friend, the assorted social workers and FBI workers – all are saddled with characters who react more than anything else. In an ideal dramatic world, the story that propels the characters as much as the characters propel the story. Here, the latter dominates. Despite that, Trust works dramatically. It is also visually strong, with appropriately tech-heavy use of computer projections, video (Tom Hodges), and IMs appearing as characters type them."
