Star Witness presented by The House Theatre of Chicago at Chopin Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...Small-town tragedy — and the notions of shared grief, responsibilities and possibilities for collective redemptions—are powerful motifs to which the House has returned, very effectively, many times over its decade-long history. And Meno’s quirky style — he is a savvy writer very much in tune with the power of mystery in ordinary locales — has always been a good match for the company."

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...The world of Chicago writer Joe Meno is strange and often enchanting. Best known for his short stories and novels, Meno has written a play, Star Witness, that's getting a likable first production from the House Theatre of Chicago (which also staged his The Boy Detective Fails in 2006). But neither Meno nor director Sean Graney has figured out how to unleash all the fascinating weirdness the script has to offer. In fact, they've managed to set loose exactly half of it."

Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...The imbalance (imagine if the black-and-white Kansas scenes of the MGM film were twice as long as the Technicolor Oz sequence) feels as if it’s thrown off even Graney and his appealing cast. Consciously or not, the director seems to have suppressed his normal affinity for the outré in the first act; I was a bit relieved to see Graney coming through in the second. (His use of the space, staging Act I in the Chopin’s basement lounge and Act II in the theater proper, is quite clever.) De Giulio and the cast’s men make an admirable effort, but Meno’s wrap-up feels so glib and rushed that, well, it’s as if there’s no magic behind the curtain."

ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended

"...Act Two has the audience moving into the theatre’s runway stage that finds Shelly biking in the dark. She meets an assortment of characters  in her sort of “Wizard of Oz” odyssey. I’ll not state more so I will not ruin the suspense. Let me state that  Joe Meno’s play seems underwritten and the production is uneven and strangely focused. Too much of the work was about Hazel and not enough about building and delivering the suspense. It is also not clear what they real focus of the work is . Is this show a mystery or an absudist adventure depicting the effects of desperate lonely bored small town folks? In the short 85 minutes, not enough is presented for us to be sure. Yet, director Graney’s stage in act two almost saves the play."

Around The Town Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...I had hopes that this production, like some of the House productions of the past would truly ‘knock my sox off”, but despite the cleverness of the production, I found the script a bit weak and can only recommend this one somewhat as I do not think many adults over 40 will find this a production to their taste, although I think the 20 something crowd might “get off on it”, despite the fact that there is no real resolution in the life of Shelly and her “adoptive” grandma."

Chicago Theater Beat - Somewhat Recommended

"...There is potential in Meno’s script, but Star Witness ultimately feels like a rough draft. The idea of a small-town murder mystery influenced by “The Wizard of Oz” is a fascinating one, and while the play does a passable job with the theme of Shelley wanting something fantastic in her life, the rest of the Oz references need to be more fully realized if they’re to be anything more than cosmetic. Thankfully, Graney knows how to get strong performances out of his actors, and his ensemble ultimately saves the show from disaster. In less capable hands, Star Witness would be dead on arrival."