Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...Well, this “This” is the stuff of real life: relationships, sex, friendships, marriage and bereavement. Especially as it afflicts the kind of overeducated, hyperarticulate, humanities-besotted, politically liberal, 30-something urbanites who populate certain neighborhoods of New York and Los Angeles and Chicago and have a tendency to date, commune, love, fight and marry among themselves. And, of course, a tendency to go to the theater with disproportionate regularity. At least until they get socked with having to take care of a baby — an exhausting, intellectually confounding event that can have a seismic impact on an otherwise relaxed marriage, a thunderous change that this very savvy piece of writing nails. Nails."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...There's a French doctor, too; brought in as a possible date for Jane, he gets flirtatious attention from both Merrill and Alan. The line with the darkest dots, though, stretches between Tom and Jane. The primary product of all these permutations is a load of implausibility. But Gibson also generates repartee that makes things fun until the obligatory shit hits the fan."
Examiner - Highly Recommended
"...Directed to a place of stunning emotional truth by Jeremy Wechsler, This delves the messy, troubled lives of four long-time friends. But it’s Fain who winds up being the alternately snarky, sad and hopeful heart of the piece. Arguably, he gets the best lines, sharp shards of observational honesty that stab the heart, stimulate the brain and tickle the proverbial the funny bone with equal dexterity. But Fain embraces the biting text and the immensely loveable, equally annoying character of Alan with such skill it feels like the part was written for him. It’s a splendid thing, when the match between actor and role fits as well as it does here. And as part of a production this absorbing, it makes This a don’t miss proposition."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...
Still, some of Gibson’s idiosyncrasies shine through, particularly her sharp dialogue’s obsession with language games and the minutiae of communication. And This does arrive at some striking observations about the what-ifs of love that never go away. Wechsler’s strong cast fills in the gaps—Spence offers an unshowy portrait of subsumed grief, while Fain makes comic hay of a character who is little more than a mnemonic device."
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"...The show’s tone is uneven as it moves from a melancholy comedy to a highly dramatic work of betrayal. There is little resolved here and the sad ending left me wondering why I spent 95 minutes being maneuvered by Gibson. It seemed that most of the opening night audience had mixed feelings about This. The younger folks laughed heartily and seemed to relate to the couples while the older folks (me included) found little humor and never empathized with anyone. I’m guessing that This’ audience is with the younger demographic."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...A coup for Theater Wit to acquire, this much praised off-Broadway hit, Melissa James Gibson’s 95-minute labor of angst, bites at its characters as a pit bull threatens strangers. Except that these friends know each other more than they need to--and themselves less than they should. Gibson is almost zestful as she exposes despair and desperation covered up by gallows humor and bad habits. The result, reinforced by Jeremy Wechsler’s appropriately abrasive staging, hurts as only humans can."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...While the story is not what one might call “comic”, there are some very funny moments in this play. In particular almost all the scenes in which Mitchell Fain aka Alan speaks. While I am sure the script was written for these words to be funny, his touch has to be the icing on the cake."
Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended
"...If there are any flaws to the play’s otherwise realistic portrayal of friendship and relationships, it’s in Tom and Merrill’s rather rapid recovery after Jane has let the cat out of the bag about her and Tom’s affair. Also, Alan’s perfect memory–to establish the truth of Merrill and Tom’s He Said/She Said moments—comes across as more of a contrivance than actual drama. But the smoothness with which the cast skates through Gibson’s script redeems these flaws. Wechsler’s cast engages the script with an enviable liquid alacrity, creating scenes with instinctually fluid reactions between people who have known each other for ages. For all the burden of Jane’s secret shame and the pressured snippiness between Tom and Merrill, these are people who like each other and rely on each other’s company as a witness to their lives. No matter what their flaws, they are just the people to bring Jane back to the land of the living."
