Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...Timothy Gregory, Provision artistic director, appeared in the lead role of Matthew in 2004 and does so again. He’s a hugely engaging personality with serious acting chops. The cast that surrounds him has been expanded — “Cotton Patch” can be performed either with just one guy and a quartet of actor-musicians or with a larger company. This production now has added four performers, forming a small gospel choir. And director Lou Contey has forged some atmospheric stage pictures."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...The book, by Tom Key and Russell Trevz, is heavy on cornpone ("Man does not live by grits alone"), but the show works anyway because of its potent use of lynching as an American equivalent to crucifixion, and because Harry Chapin's songs are stirring and infectious. Lou Contey's production for Provision Theater Company--a retooled version of a successful 2004 staging--features a dynamic, hardworking narrator (Timothy Gregory) backed by four singers and a crackerjack four-piece band. Altogether, it has the soul-stirring power of an old-time tent revival meeting."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...The exuberant string band and pitch-perfect choral quartet, performing in the acoustically-enhanced auditorium housed at the former Duncan YMCA that comprises Provision Theater's new near-southside home, are eminently stageworthy. But a story with multiple characters configured for a single speaking voice requires a soloist of uncommon prowess, and ultimately, what draws us into the play's universe is Timothy Gregory's physically and vocally agile recounting of a yarn to pique the curiosity of the most stubborn secularist."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...Gospel—a large-scale revamp of Provision’s 2004 production of the 1981 Off Broadway show—includes eight folk-singing, instrument-wielding chorus members as an enlivening musical backdrop. But the play belongs to Gregory, who, as a modern-day Matthew, single-handedly reenacts most of the New Testament’s major plot points in a series of deft vaudeville skits and a bevy of bluegrass solos. More impressive than his virtuosity is his skillful avoidance of kitsch: Gregory propels the evening forward with a charisma that stops short of hamminess."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Cotton Patch Gospel is filled with excellent storytelling, great bluegrass music and a wonderful performance by Tim Gregory. This is uplifting family show with loads of heart. Take the entire family, they’ll love it!"
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...This is a production that will have you tapping your feet to Chapin's music and wanting to sing along and clap your hands. It is an opportunity to get away from the things in life that worry you and although these are the Gospels according to Key and Treyz, with a little help from Chapin, you might just get a little feeling out of what they are saying in their exploration of life's meaning and purpose. But I can guarantee you will have a fun time."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...This show owes no small amount of its success to Gregory’s ability to morph from, not only Jesus into his apostles, but also into the darker roles of Herod, (Governor) Pontius Pilate, and a mercenary mega-church preacher. It’s in these momentary roles that Gregory’s aspect takes on shades of George W. Bush and the evangelicals that grace our television screens. He and the his musical team make the most of lyrics that knowingly describe the rationales for the abuse of power and a populace’s collusion with that power."
