Mrs. Caliban at Lifeline Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...There are lively scenes involving Barrie and Jenifer Tyler, who plays Dorothy's miserable best friend. But there's a connection missing between Barrie and Peter Greenberg, who plays the monster. Greenberg is a fine Chicago actor, but he lacks an erotic charge here, and he doesn't seem to have his guy's full visual vocabulary down (a tough assignment, for sure). He's insufficiently menacing, insufficiently irresistible."

Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended

"...Lifeline's production is an entirely seamless work, with Frances Limoncelli's spare but eloquent adaptation, Ann Boyd's fluid yet precision-tooled direction, Julia Neary's dreamy, comic-tinged choreography, Chelsea Warren's subtly disorienting white-on-white set and Branimira Ivanova's magnificent costumes all of a piece."

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...It seems to slide around on a continuum ranging from the present to, say, the early 60s. And that's a major problem, because this tale--about a very, very unhappy woman and the reptilian man-creature she loves--needs a strong ambient reality to keep it sharp. Major problem not withstanding, however, there are still great surges of bittersweet charm here--thanks largely to Brenda Barrie's dancerly performance as the title character and Peter Greenberg's calculatedly clunky one as her green beau."

Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...Barrie is as nimble as ever; whether dancing to alleviate the boredom of chores or wailing on the seashore to call her lover home, she lends the integrity of heartbreak to a story that could easily slide into the ridiculous. Greenberg’s laconic and oddly sexy Larry, meanwhile, walks the line between laughable and tragic."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...Mrs. Caliban unfolds as a bizarre love story as we wonder what will happen next to both Larry and Dorothy? So suspend your disbelief a tad more and enjoy the intoxicating unconventional world of Mrs. Caliban thinly disguised as a realistic drama. This show is worth seeing."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended

"... certainly don't want to take the mystery out of the events in this play, but the ending will kind of leave you drawing some of your own conclusions or allowing some deep discussions with your partner or friends. Ms. Ingalls said that she "likes to lay with conventions" and I for one found this to be more of a combination fantasy and science fiction story. When the curtain came down (there is no curtain, but this is the term for a play ending) many of us were left with unanswered questions. This is okay, as it allows us to use our own minds and imaginations. How did we want the story to end? There is no right or wrong answer, just what makes you feel as good as Dorothy felt once she met Larry."