The Gay American presented by The Ruckus Theater at The Side Project

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"... Allison Shoemaker's raucous production for the Ruckus Theater presents all the corruption and flimflammery with gusto, but O'Hare's ambitious three-act script ultimately overshoots its target. I'll buy McGreevey as a self-serving horndog, but he's unconvincing as the embodiment of everything wrong with America."

Centerstage - Not Recommended

"...Kristian O'Hare's vulgar new play, "The Gay American," leaves one disgusted and numb. Tracing the rise and fall of closeted New Jersey governor James McGreevey (Neal Starbird), the show purports to offer a "provocative investigation of sexual politics." This is true only if "provocative investigation of sexual politics" actually means tasteless Jew jokes, an incoherent plotline and multiple graphic descriptions of sperm in various states."

Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"... Some of the fouler jism jokes O’Hare employs to this end have a kitschy, John Waters merriment, and the generally enthused cast clearly delights in them. But they also perform the same function that the media attention to McGreevey did: They inflate, mock and render outlandish our image of gay life. If outlandish is the intention, fine, but then the show’s maudlin closing moments amount to a slow-paced diatribe against American normativity (“to live the American dream, you have to live a false life”). The sentiments are rote as hell, and the voyeuristic script doesn’t even earn them."

ChicagoCritic - Not Recommended

"...This 2 hour farce want-to-be has neither manic pace nor the physical humor nor the sharp-edged absurdest tone or a deus ex machina twist of the plot to fuel the humor. The movement back and forth from parody to docudrama fell shallow. Better to pick an extreme comic style throughout than to slow the pace with several thoughtless dramatic speeches and pontifications. The over use of raw descriptions of gay sex doomed the show for me. Gay men will be offended by this show. The show plays like a series of underdeveloped sketches. This shows needs to be rethought."

Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended

"...Aaron Dean and Freddie Donovan play a perfect pair of congressional pages—perfect bookends portraying the young gay have and have-nots in Washington’s political game playing. Stevie Chaddock gives us a sympathetic and vulnerable Morag–ignored by her parents as they enjoy the “cup quality” of their coffee, lost in the brave new world of cyber-dating, hoping to gain something from exploiting herself before others exploit her. I might have wished for more empowerment for Morag, Page, and Philly Buster but that will never come to pass in this world. No, in this dark, gay tale of Washington sexual shenanigans everyone loses, especially when they think they are winning."