Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"... For the most part, "Maple and Vine," which is a very clever and entertaining piece of new writing, bops along very intriguingly and will surely spark post-show conversation and, maybe, even a few useful adjustments. The production does not come with sufficient visual coherence — some of the boundaries of this imaginary world are confusing, and an intrusive set of moving screens sometimes threatens to swallow the whole affair. But the acting is often very good. The consistently excellent Glynn rings true throughout. And as his character approaches a personal crisis, Grimm strikes a very clever balance between role playing and devastation. Avery has her late-in the-play moments, too, as does Paul D'Addario, who plays a resident of the 1955 whose personal desires keeps him outside in the park, rather than with his own place at a more enlightened table."
Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Harrison would have us believe that there are a significant number of citizens so bored with their privileged lives that they seek to play-act prejudice, injustice and repression—without sacrificing any of their privileges, of course. (It comes as no surprise that this artificial environment has no slums or ghettos and few ethnic minorities; sentimentalizing lynch law and anti-semitism is a tough sell.) Playgoers as naive as Katha and Ryu may find fodder for discussion in Next Theatre's provocatively premised production, but even a modicum of credulity is enough to sabotage the suspension of disbelief necessary to buy into Harrison's fuzzy thesis."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"... If director Damon Kiely’s physical staging sometimes feels rote—particularly in the first act, with the actors endlessly rearranging scenic designer Keith Pitts’s sliding screens—he and his pitch-perfect, multilayered cast embrace Harrison’s high concept and dig deep. Grimm and Avery are especially striking as the S.D.O.’s seeming model couple. And as much as Harrison’s premise requires a little extra suspension of disbelief, the questions it raises—what would it be like to live in a society that, rather than progressing organically, had an “authenticity committee” devoted to preserving stasis?—make Maple and Vine a most desirable address."
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"... Playwright Harrison offers not enough motivation for Katha and Ryu to drop their contemporary lives for the degrading life of 1955 that finds Katha as a housewife and Ryu (a Japanese-American) relegated as a factory worker who assembles cardboard boxes. Really? I just can’t see how a high-powered doctor wouldletracial discrimination lower him to being an ensemble line worker. Why? Because his wife talked him into it?"
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"... Jordan and Kiely do a fine job of conveying the fascinating premise and sketchy details of this cautionary play, itself a game performed for a 2011 audience (many of whom, judging from the Next crowd, remember 1955 quite well). But there are holes in the story (the couple’s motivations for joining the S.D.O. are fairly generic) and its very ambivalence about both time frames keeps it more of an illustrated lecture than an urgent burst of make-believe."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Somewhat Recommended
"... When we finally get to MAPLE & VINE,the scenery (Keith Pitts) and costumes (Alex Meadows) are ‘I Love Lucy’ vintage. The authentic look is nifty. And the story really starts. It’s progression in reverse. Gender roles are embraced! The little woman’s sole purpose is to feed her man. To encourage accuracy in time period, discrimination is encouraged. Not just encouraged but requested by the potential target. We learn Dean and Ellen’s reasoning for choosing voluntary simplicity. The second act is just bursting with interesting twists in personality and desires. And I want more of this grown-up pretend. Is it a cult? It is a fantasy? Who are these people? MAPLE & VINE is a happening intersection. With some shortcuts getting there, it’d be a fascinating place to explore in more depth."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"... Under the smooth direction of Damon Kiely, on a set designed by Keith Pitts, we are taken back in time, a time where men went to work and women stayed home and kept house. A time when credit cards didn’t exist, people had dinner parties and played parlor games ( like charades) and people used phones and the postal service to communicate. Some of the furniture in this production will remind you of your Aunt Lil’s home and will certainly remind you of the family TV fare we watched. The music (Lindsay Jones) is original, but truly feels that we know the melodies ( they are so 50′s!) and the costumes (Alex Meados) and props (Ryann Lee) truly make the 1950′s seem like they are happening now."
Chicago Theater Beat - Somewhat Recommended
"... Lampooning the 1950s is like kicking a dead horse. The decade has been ridiculed and used as a metaphor for repression over and over again. Maple and Vine adds nothing to this image. And while the concept of a gated community that is one part cult and one part time capsule has legs, the story and direction aren’t enough to carry it."
