Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...This isn't a long, period plod — translator Peter Constantine converts the play into a swift 90 minutes of fair amusement. The piece has a very self-aware patina. Performed in modern dress and with open theatricality, the production features such shrewd and skilled comic players as Haggard, Vickers and (in the role of the wry master of ceremonies) the smartly cast Lance Baker, offering glasses of wine to anyone who does not laugh. Well, so he said. No vino made its way to the seats."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"... It's a clever plan, and director Steve Scott might've got some laughs out of playing it straight. Instead, he subverts Machiavelli's already subversive text, creating an arena in which the meaning of every line and action is up for grabs. The result is an exhausting, hilarious show with a deep undertow of what might be called sublime cynicism--a beautiful ugliness that's supremely Machiavellian in spirit."
Examiner - Somewhat Recommended
"...Director Steve Scott packages the intelligent buffoonery into a zippy 90 minutes, adding a layer of meta-theatrics to the proceedings that makes things even goofier. But the gleeful absurdity doesn’t mask the bite within Machiavelli’s story. This is a fable the argues that deception trounces virtue - be it the sort of self-deception that lets people justify shady behavior or the sort of lies told by scammers looking to hoodwink the unwary."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...This contemplative approach would not be possible without actors willing to rein themselves in. Fortunately, the ensemble convened for this vest-pocket production never swerves from its characters' hypocritical convictions, allowing us to recognize for ourselves—or not—the impropriety of, say, a priest offering to assist in an abortion (for a price, of course). By the time the luscious Dona Lucrezia happily embarks on her life of marital infidelity, gullible audience members should readily endorse the author's amoral dictum about ends justifying means."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...Red Orchid has mounted a charming, modestly staged production (dir. Steve Scott) with an emphasis on the broadly comic dimensions of Machiavelli’s characters. The first act opens with a prologue in which the sardonic Ligurio (Lance Baker) introduces the plot and setting, Florence, represented by a sketchily painted street scene on a wall hanging."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...The play is also, by the way, brilliantly effective, with a sense of comedic construction that Michael Frayn could envy. Scott’s cast is adept at navigating the plot’s twists and reversals, and by and large delivers a very funny rendition of Renaissance Florence. The production suffers somewhat, though, from the persistent urge to nudge us with its cleverness. While David Chrzanowski scores palpable hits throughout as the scurrilous Father Timoteo, the frenetic Haggard and clueless, lascivious Vickers could stand more modulation. Baker, at his most Robert Downey Junior–esque, kind of amazingly overplays underplaying. It’s fun throughout and sometimes dazzling, but leaves much of the play’s depths unplumbed."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...For 90 minutes, we are treated to physical and verbal wackiness from a group of zanies including a bumbling fool – Nicia – the richly weird Doug Vickers; a cunning manipulator Ligurio, Lance Baker with his telling expressions; and the hyper-active Callimaco, Steve Haggard whose facial contortions are hysterical. The Mandrake necessitates our attention but the payoff is there in laughs as we appreciate the complex and theatrical comic timing of each character – with a few ad-libs and asides through-in. The comic elements come fast and loose utilizing wordplay, gestures and physicality in an over-the-top production that exudes hyper-energy from the entire cast. The performances make this a show worth your time – and, you’ll get a few laughs along the way."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...“The Mandrake” evokes the political humor and satire behind the Italian society during the early 1500s. Niccolo Machiavelli’s classic has remained a favorite some five hundred years later thanks to the proper revivals, such as A Red Orchid’s production. Audiences will greatly enjoy this wonderful comedy by this renowned theatre company. By the end of the play you might just be asking yourself exactly who the trickster really is. A devoted lover hell-bent on succeeding? Or the clever friend who stares passionately into the eyes of his own lover? Pay close attention, and you may just find out."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...For those of you who know A Red Orchid located at 1531 N. Wells Street in Old Town, it is a very small theater and yet Scott makes great use of this space on a set by Grant Sabin, which is limited, but works. Jeremy W. Floyd’s costumes and Michael Stanfill’s lighting add to the over all experience and Douglas Kupferman’s props are wonderful. Many of us are unknowledgable about the Dramaturg, a person who works with the script and who seldom gets paid attention to at all. It is the duty of this person to make it all work and make sense and Kelli Marino has done her job. We very seldom think about the stage manager as well. This is the person who must make sure that everyone and every thing is in the right place at the right time; that every light and sound cue works and is on time. While an actor or tech person can rest between cues, the Stage Manager must be prepared for anything throughout the entire show and with the hectics of a zany comedy, be prepared for anything- Ms. S.G. Heller, you were divine!"
Chicago Theater Beat - Somewhat Recommended
"...Rich in psychological pungency, Machiavelli’s cynbical quips about human nature give the predictable plot some philosophical heft. But the staging itself seems too grounded in everyday absurdities, the timing a tad too careful, to achieve the escape velocity of self-propelled, raucously urgent screwball burlesque. When the funniest laugh comes from a lighting cue (“The sun is up!”), something bland happened to the script."
