Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Written by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, whose previous credits include "Ragtime" and "Seussical: The Musical," the show traffics in lowbrow humor and highbrow introspection -- as Ahrens's lyrics say, with "one hand on the crotch, one hand on the heart." BoHo's Rogers Park space has always been tight, but I don't think it has ever felt this cramped. The theater, it seems, can barely contain the outsize personalities of this proto-vaudeville, and director Stephen M. Genovese has assembled a genuinely solid if not exactly charismatic cast. Their approach to the musical's baser material isn't quite nasty enough for my taste. It twinkles when it should leer."
Windy City Times
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Ahrens and Flaherty's structural device of giving each character a chance to reminisce directly to the audience dilutes the focus. Also, inter-troupe jealousies and unrequited love crushes get introduced and then go frustratingly unexplored."
Chicago Free Press
- Recommended
"...As you might guess from the title, this show is plenty self-glorifying. “If you’re good in bed, you’re good on stage. It’s that simple,” says one character, right at the top of the show. Still, director Stephen M. Genovese has assembled a seven-member cast all deserving of some glory (although not all parts are created equal). After they sing, emote and pratfall across stage for 90 nonstop minutes, you’ll be hard-pressed not to admire actors too. Even if you don’t want to go to bed with all of them. Although, the show’s handful of salacious numbers might just put you in the mood."
Talkin Broadway
- Highly Recommended
"...BoHo's Glorious Ones is an opportunity to enjoy seven quite terrific performers. Courtney Crouse and Dana Tretta are probably the best known to local audiences. Mr. Crouse gained attention and acclaim in the title roles of Jekyll and Hyde for BoHo a while back. He's not the central figure here—that would be Eric Damon Smith as Flaminio—but Crouse has ample opportunity to use his powerful baritone and do some gymnastics as the romantic lead, Francesco. Ms. Tretta, so effective in generating pathos as the heroine of Bailiwick's Hunchback of Notre Dame and Theo Ubique's Cabaret, gets to play entirely for laughs here as the midget Armanda, even imitating a little dog at one point."
Centerstage
- Highly Recommended
"...All seven members of the ensemble shine. Vocally they are stellar, both individually and as a company. Their energy and earnest commitment coupled with honest character portrayals make this musical entertaining as well as informative. Eric Damon Smith's Flaminio, Dana Tretta's pint-sized Armanda, Courtney Crouse's handsome leading man Francesco and Katie Siri's sweet ingenue Isabella stand out in particular."
Chicago Stage Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Theater is delightful when it takes something that you love and portrays it for all of its brilliance. Theater is remarkably amazing when it takes something that you’re not fond of and illuminates it for all of its glory. This is just is some of the magic of Bohemian Theatre Ensemble’s Regional Premiere of The Glorious Ones."
Time Out Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Flaherty’s powerful score and Ahrens’s smart book and lyrics deliver lowbrow farce and introspective ballads with equal strength, as does the versatile ensemble. Dana Tretta sparkles in the bawdy “Armanda’s Tarantella,” then nails a tearful finale. Danni Smith, deadpan through countless boob jokes, stops the show with the ballad “My Body Wasn’t Why.” Crouse has the comedic chops to convince us Francesco could alter the troupe’s course, and Eric Damon Smith captures Flaminio’s beloved but insecure qualities. The show traffics in familiar territory and may speak more to artists than laymen (or those not amused by fart jokes). But director Genovese maintains a brisk pace and packs BoHo’s small space with plenty of theatrical eye candy."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...We have a wooden stage and some clever little set pieces designed by Director Stephen M. Genovese, who utilizes the little storefront theater on North Glenwood Avenue to perfection. Might I mention, for those of you who have not been to this venue before, it is very tiny, with a little stage and an audience so close they can almost reach out and touch the actors. But this troupe uses it well and often they amaze me with the clever ways they do."
Chicago Theater Beat
- Recommended
"...Director/set designer Stephen M. Genovese has created a fine and audacious set; a blank old-world-looking wood stage dressed with simple red curtains and the occasional charmingly low tech surprise. It’s a set that screams, “Fill me! Bring the best you’ve got!” – and Mr. Genovese and his cast make a wholehearted attempt…and sometimes succeed."
