Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"...These women need to be sexy on some level for the play to work. The actresses are attractive in their own way, but they never manage to strike the right attitude, nor do you believe any one of them could command $500 a customer. As an ensemble, they haven't found their way into this world. (Kyra Morris, as a war vet who mostly keeps to herself, manages to inject some nuance where it counts). But mainly the actresses just seem lost in this production, wearing their lingerie like Halloween costumes rather than the work uniforms they actually are."
Windy City Times
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The sturdy cast assembled by director Meghan Beals McCarthy lend their by-the-numbers dialogue a welcome freshness and humor to render the play a pleasant, if uninspiring, two hours. And no theater ever lost money on the promise of nubile chicks dressed in scanty undies. But so rigidly does Lathrop adhere to her mission of presenting the negative aspects of her play's universe that what could have been an enlightening study of an alternative culture ultimately emerges as simplistic watch-and-ward propaganda. Is the author afraid that we will embark on a career in the skin trade at the slightest hint of encouragement?"
Time Out Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...
As Kitten, an 18-year-old who’s pounded the pavement for years, Joanne Dubach is the surest glimpse of the piece’s potential. Her sincere naïveté is both tragic and charming, although the opportunity for her to provide true comic relief is tempered by the absence of tension. Marguerite Hammersley’s motherly, sly Honey also intrigues. But lacking complex exploration, these women are ultimately as disposable as their customers think of them—surely the opposite of Lathrop’s aim."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The acting was decent enough, a few actresses were better than others but that comes with all plays. I suggest hiring a dialect coach or dropping the southern accent of lead character Kitten, the ditsy dumb-blond attitude mixed with a terrible southern accent does not help her character at all. The seven prostitute cast list features nice work by performers Dana Black, Melissa Canciller, Joanne Dubach, Ariana Dziedzic, Marguerite Hammersley, Katherine Keberlin, and Kyra Morris. As said before the acting here was not the problem, the script was just not right for Chicago Dramatists' latest production."
Around The Town Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Lathrop tries to draw us a picture of what takes place not only in the House of ill repute, but in the heads of these ladies. The reasons that they have made the choice to do this work and possibly to open our eyes about an industry that we have read about, seen depicted in movies and other plays, but from the angle of the sex employees. The problem is that the picture is incomplete and the ending left me wanting to know more. As I said, while the story is not as complete as I would like, there are some sterling characters developed by actresses and director that I believe came more form their interpretation than the script. Dana Black’s Mandy and Marguerite Hammersley’sHoney are two of the strongest characters and well played by both. I found these two ladies and their characters what kept the whole show together."
Chicago Theater Beat
- Recommended
"...If there is any criticism to be made, it’s the way the playwright structures a mystery she’s planted within the plotline. At one point, razor blades are discovered in one prostitute’s bar of soap and the break room becomes tense over who among the women planted them there. But it’s a mystery that becomes lost in the interplay of the women’s lives. By the time the real culprit is revealed in the second act, the discovery lacks impact and the play’s ending cuts short of any time to consider its ramifications for the characters involved. A little editing to build foreshadowing and suspense would make for a more united, cohesive and compelling drama."
