Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...Watch these characters walk through the door, shaking the cold off their clothing and complaining about the weather — "Like all the elements have lost their reason," as the sheriff (played by an excellent Ed Smaron) puts it — and you think: I can relate. This is The Den's first production, and judging by the attention to detail and thoughtful casting by co-directors Ryan Martin and Lia Mortensen, it is an auspicious beginning."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Middle-aged, alcoholic college teacher Gerald makes a play for the eatery's teenage waitress. And diner owner Grace frolics in her upstairs apartment with Carl the bus driver. Ryan Martin and Lia Mortensen's somewhat sluggish production benefits from Caleb McAndrew's realistic set, but the actors seldom register the aching loneliness underneath the script's wry humor."
Gapers Block
- Highly Recommended
"...Bus Stop, a collaborative directorial debut by veteran actors Lia Mortensen and Ryan Martin, is the first show at The Den Theatre-- a promising new venue capable of seating about 100 with a spacious stage and a cavernous lobby. It is a solid first show with an inviting small-town diner set by Caleb McAndrew and Aimee Plant."
Time Out Chicago
- Recommended
"...
in this bright production of a prehistoric chestnut, Liz Zweifler emanates warmth as the deep-voiced restaurant matron Grace, while Brian Kavanaugh brings a blustery, aptly overcompensatory energy to the big-talking, virginal cowboy Bo. The others do just fine, verging only occasionally into too-broad indicating (a fierce snarl and a subtle fisticuffs gesture to indicate wrath, for instance). The evening’s real winner is the Den itself, a vast, attractive loft space in Wicker Park that the program indicates the company plans to rent out cheap. Play makers, take note."
ChicagoCritic
- Highly Recommended
"...The dynamics of Inge’s well structured play allows each character to express their dreams, hopes and their loneliness as we see their desperation and yearning played out overnight marooned at the diner. Filled with gripping and fluid dialogue, Bus Stop is an engaging work filled with empathetic characters that we willingly return to the world of 1950 Kansas. The play is ultimately optimistic and hopeful. The ensemble totally understood and engaged their characters completely. The acting was impressive."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...Under the expert co-directorial debuts of veteran actress Lia Mortensen and Ryan Martin, the Den Theatre production is as strongly cast as any professional production you will see. "Bus Stop" is a true ensemble piece, and if you only have the vastly re-written Marilyn Monroe star vehicle film version as a reference, you only have a slight hint of the gentle magic of Inge's big-hearted, bittersweet tale. Brian Kavanaugh's Bo is an almost manic strutting rooster, bringing a primal mixture of testosterone, neediness and aggression that fires the principal conflict. Kavanaugh's boyish cockiness and naiveté provide the perfect catalyst for Mortensen and Martin's honest and well grounded ensemble."
Around The Town Chicago
- Recommended
"...This is quite an assortment of characters with background that are as different as night and day, but in watching this story unfold we see that they all are missing something and Inge brings this out with pitch perfect clarity , making some of the stories reach their quest and others learn to make the adjustments they need to in order to go forward in life. The ending is one of happiness andsadness a we see some characters find their quest can be conquered and others make the needed adjustments to either grow or just exist. The Den Theatre Company should be very proud of the work they are presenting and hopefully theater-goers will take the trip and help this young and talented group gain momentum."
Reviews You Can Iews
- Recommended
"...This is a great chance to see a play by a new company and visit a new space that you will no doubt be using sometime in the future. In fact, you should take the bus there!!"
Chicago Theater Beat
- Recommended
"...But in another sense, the play is a snapshot of sexual and relationship innocence we can never and probably should never return to again. Grace may celebrate Cherie leaving with Bo in the end, but no one today can be that celebratory about a man so completely clueless about a woman’s rights over her own person. A guy like that might have as much propensity for battering as good old boy fun–and that’s something that today’s audiences can’t ignore, for all the nostalgic yearning that Bus Stop fulfills."
