Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...Committed to keeping things entertaining without pushing too hard, director Mullen allows his actors (Cameron Johnson, Norm Woodel and Ryan Lanning among them) enough space to flesh out what are thin characters to begin with. The result may not always be believable, but it is nothing less than watchable."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...F---ing Men, Joe Di Pietro's 2008 adaptation of "La Ronde" --the once notorious play by Austrian dramatist Arthur Schnitzler that exposed the class-crossing boundaries of daisy-chain sexual activity in late 19th century Viennese society -- turns out to be one of the most fervent and fiercely contemporary of the many adaptations of this play to date. And director Tom Mullen's expertly devised new production of it for BailiwickChicago, could not be more ideal."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Director Tom Mullen elicits smart, nuanced performances from his attractive cast of 10 non-union actors ( several being new faces to me ) who represent a range of types, ages and races. There are flashes of skin, but remember Fucking Men isn't a play about sex itself. John Rotonda ( scenic ) and Jared B. Moore ( lighting ) have created an airy, contemporary and place-neutral scenic design of slats and back-lighting that suits Mullen's fluid staging. Composer Laurence Mark Wythe's original music effectively heightens many moments."
Centerstage - Recommended
"...Men are alike when it comes to sex, DiPietro says. Straight or gay – it makes no difference, except that the homosexual man's chances for fulfillment are often greater. Sex, as depicted in this play, is more than simply a physical act. It’s the continual conflict between being fast and free and being afraid and faithful. DiPietro's thought-provoking issues and questions are sure to challenge audiences in this ring-around-the-rosie dance of desire."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...
Mullen’s handsome production is matched by a handsome cast, though some have firmer grasps on their characters than others. Ryan Lanning stands out in a hilarious turn as a preening playwright; Beau Forbes as the movie star, Norm Woodel as a TV journalist and Cameron Harms as a hyperactive soldier are terrific as well. If you can overlook DiPietro’s somewhat depressing suggestion that monogamy is a fantasy for gay men, Fucking Men is pretty fucking solid."
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"...Ryan Lanning, as the playwright, Beau Forbes, the actor and Christian Kain Blackburn, the porn star were particular excellent performers in a cast of capable actors. I’m sure gay men and possibly women will enjoy the sex studs who inhabit this tight smart sex comedy. The show has limited audience appeal."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...What redeems this 80-minute venture is the sincerity of Director Tom Mullen’s cast, 10 actors who, in a play this insistent, will clearly never need to wonder about their motivation. More than a depiction of serial promiscuity, “Fucking Men” is also more than its too generic title (which, depending on how you read it, could be both a gerund noun and an epithet). It offers a cross-section of a community that’s inevitably linked by more than sex because fornication is never as simple as it’s short. And did I mention that Christian Kain Blackburn is very good looking, as in “worth the price of admission” handsome?"
Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended
"...Overall, Fucking Men strikes at the core of what motivates gay men—and quite possibly everyone else too—to have sex. And although there are some weaknesses with a few of the characters whose behaviors just are beyond believable, it’s pretty easy to find traces of yourself in most of them."
