Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...In my book, finding some time in a day of buying stuff to think about the meaning of stuff in our lives and relationships is a very good idea. The premise is certainly sound —little gurgles of recognition are sprinkled throughout these 105 minutes of stage traffic directed by Karen Carpenter —and much of the writing here is very strong. Collectively, it's rather akin to a series of good "Talk of the Town" pieces in the New Yorker. A reasonably diverse array of female lives are here represented, but the preponderance of the material features women both urban and urbane."
Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...The Ephron sisters should have trusted Beckerman’s time-and-place-specific text (New York from the 1940s on) to have the same impact on stage, triggering individual memories, both fond and traumatic, of dresses, shoes, purses, bras and the horrors of retail dressing rooms (as well as choice quotes from parents, sisters, boyfriends, husbands and the rest), simply by suggestion. Instead, rather than giving us a single life, they’ve added a slew of generic-sounding stories that deal with everything from lesbian “life partner” vows to rape. The one standout addition is a short, hilarious riff on Birkenstock sandals."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...There's a lot of comedy, some well-timed tears, and not much that's surprising. All in all, it's a well-honed niche product, perfect for ladies' nights out."
Centerstage - Somewhat Recommended
"...Based on Ilene Beckerman’s book, Nora and Delia Ephron’s “Love, Loss and What I Wore” strives for female bonding and wry nostalgia. Frankly, it makes me wish I was a man. To be fair, the low-tech show has plenty of laugh out loud lines and offers the sort of offbeat moments distinctive to the Ephrons. Set up “Vagina Monologue” style with women on music stands, the show interweaves hundreds of clothing-fueled recollections. Though many monologues grow mawkish, due in large part to the “now I’m going to tell you something sad voice” nearly all of the cast members employ, several are saved by that quintessential Ephron ability to counter the listener’s assumptions, leaving them somewhere fresh and new."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...Beckerman’s memoir forms a spine for the piece, with excerpts read by Barbara Robertson; the Ephron sisters complement it with anecdotes from their own friends about prom dresses, fitting rooms and distinctive bathrobes, and the memories they trigger about mothers, sisters and lovers. To be sure, these stories are from the type of women who grew up to be friends with Nora and Delia Ephron; we’re allowed to rifle through a strikingly Manhattancentric, privileged collection of closets. But the stories are so well-observed and well-told, they can pass for universal."
Chicago Theatre Addict - Somewhat Recommended
"...Yes there were some LOL-worthy moments mixed with a few genuinely touching stories, and the thing moves along quick enough to stave off irritation, but in the end it was just a shoulder-shrug."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...What is neat about the play is the variety —tall and short women, thin and fat women, white and black —each with her own plusses and minuses, yet all sharing recognized moments and concerns. Kudos to a fine cast where the actors swiftly and professionally interchange their shifting roles. To add variety and interest, one artistic character accompanies her monologues with drawings enlarged and depicted on a back screen –adding a neat, whimsical cartoon touch."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Somewhat Recommended
"... As a girl's night out it can be fun. Go and get a manicure with your gal pals before the show and be sure and grab a beverage to bring into the theatre with you since there is no intermission and 90 minutes can be kind of long if you are not completely enthralled with the show, which I was not. Go to the 95th floor at the John Hancock as an after show experience as it just might make the trip downtown worthwhile. Personally, at $78 a ticket I would rather go shopping for a new black turtleneck or a new fabulous purse."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...I enjoyed every moment of this relatable show. But my favorite parts were dressed up by Felicia P. Fields. Fields is deliciously sassy. With a word or look, she rocks the theatre in laughter. SENSATIONAL! LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE is a Glamour DO! No black bar about it! And if you don’t get that joke, you probably won’t get the show, dude."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...Many theater-goers recall with fond memories the brilliant “The Vagina Monologues” that was composed of many little stories told by women of their lives and read/narrated by three women. This was an evening filled with many emotions and gave us, the audience, in particular the male audience members a little insight into the minds of women. In “Love,Loss,and What I Wore” by Nora and Delia Ephron, based on the book by Ilene Beckerman, we are revisiting this concept, but with five women instead of three and while much of the words come from Beckerman’s book, there are other anecdotes and stories added to the mix for flavor and variety."
Chicago Theater Beat - Somewhat Recommended
"...There are, perhaps, about 10 minutes worth of emotionally resonant text within this litany of superficialities. O’Brien has a poignant memory about giving a closet full of mini-skirts to the Good Will after being raped. An earlier piece about a bathrobe twined to the memory of a parent who died is also rich with depth and feeling."
