Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...If you've avoided the show in the past out of squeamishness about the title and subject matter, Circle's production provides an unexpected surprise. Then again, as Hope reminds us, "Is there any other kind?""
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"... Director-choreographer Kevin Bellie has assembled a charming, droll, perfectly cast ensemble and somehow goaded them into performances that are at once wildly energetic and precise. From Gary Echelmeyer's hodgepodge costume design to the things Laura Savage's ingenue does with a rag doll while tied to a chair, the whole show has a bursting-at-the-creative-seams quality."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...If musicals are your bag then you should not hesitate to get out to Oak Park and see Circle Theater’s highly enjoyable production of Urinetown. If you are not a fan of musicals, or are new to the genre, you could not pick a better production to win you over. Tremendous fun awaits you."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Though his voice is a bit thin, Creg Sclavi brings the right open-faced guilelessness to Bobby Strong, the leader of the rebellion. He’s backed by an ensemble whose work gets too loose and undisciplined at times, but what the performers lack in polish they make up in sheer exuberance."
Chicago Theatre Addict - Highly Recommended
"...Despite this unevenness, director and choreographer Kevin Bellie keeps the energy high and the laughs a plenty. The vocally assured cast offers tight harmony to Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis’ pastiche-heavy score, thanks to excellent music direction by Peter J. Storms. The band of four, housed in the bowels of Bob Knuth’s rusty pipe-filled set, offers solid support. And Jesus Perez’s steampunk-meets-1920s costumes add significantly to the quirky, off-kilter charm."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Urinetown is a hyper-self-aware satire in which the fourth wall is very much like a politician’s integrity: it only exists when it chooses to. The play takes place place in a dystopian future where a drought has forced private restrooms into extinction and all must pay to use the public ones. Naturally a capitalist has found a way to make absurd amounts of money by owning all of the toilets in the whole city. The premise is patently absurd –which the musical admits several times over. It ends up being a sort of socialist, absurdist comedy; so, there are some parallels with Brecht. That said, it lacks the deep incisiveness of Brecht (though that can hardly be called a deadly blow: after all, there are exceedingly few who possess it). And it is, indeed, plenty satirical."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Recommended
"...Musical Director Peter J. Storms conducts the upbeat soundtrack onstage behind the action. The tempo switches from a fun-loving “Don’t be the Bunny” to a soul-searching “I See the River.” It’s powerful and sometimes overpowering. On opening night, there were some microphone issues. Some of it was battling the band but primarily it was battling technology. Most notably for me, Creg Sclavi (Bobby) and Laura Savage’s (Hope) duet was muffled. At one point, Scalvi seemed like he was lip syncing because the volume and tone changed."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...This is a “must see” experience for musical theater lovers ( although not suggested for little ones) and with the exception of the sound situation, one that I strongly suggest you make part of YOUR fall theater scene."
