There Is a Happiness That Morning Is presented by Theater Oobleck at Storefront Theater

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...Let's say up front that this is not a play for tired ears. It requires that you sit up and listen and ponder what Maher has to say about the exhausting complexities of human relationships. But for all his highbrow notions, Maher has a wonderfully trashy side. (His evisceration of academia's political wrangling is also surely based on an insider's view; he currently teaches at the University of Chicago.)"

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...Against all logic, Maher creates stage worlds designed specifically to lack dramatic potential. But this banality turns out to be a source of rich humor—the seemingly idiotic setups are hilarious. It's also an impish attack on the common notion that contemporary playwrights have to tackle hot-button social issues. Mostly, though, it's a good way to create a pervasive strangeness. The action—or lack thereof—floats in an indefinable, quasi-lyrical realm where Maher's deliberately overwrought prose reverberates with an unaccountable profundity."

Windy City Times - Recommended

"...Writing about There Is a Happiness That Morning Is makes it sound rather heavy and literary, but it never loses its comic edge or showmanship, culminating in an unexpected and gasp-inducing stage fight that's one of the best I've seen, as one actor whips another around like a rag doll."

Chicago Stage Review - Highly Recommended

"...If you have never seen Maher’s work, this is a perfect introductory class. If you are already a fan, There Is A Happiness That Morning Is is a refresher course reminder of his staggering talent. Regardless of your grade level, this is a production of writing and acting at its finest and one of the year’s most extraordinary offerings that you cannot afford to miss."

Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...In subtly, smartly rhymed verse, Maher’s play serves as both a primer on Blake and a critical inquiry into his work’s themes. In the afterglow of what he experienced as an act of ecstasy, Bernard practically beams with infant joy himself, while Ellen seethes with dark knowledge and doubt. How do innocence and experience reconcile themselves in the everyday of a 20-year love, “all those jokes and laundry”? Goosed by precise, masterful performances, Maher’s text is almost endlessly engaging and frequently hilarious. (Things do start to get repetitive after a third character shows up.) It’s a tantalizing examination of love’s dark secrets."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...This simple 90 minute production is well staged and the three actors bring something real and special to their roles. Poetry is something that many shy away from, but for those who love poetry and those who are “romantics” at heart, this production will open their hearts and minds as to the question of why poems are read at all? Do we read poetry just to read it? Or is poetry something to quote from? Is “Joy” something that we feel alone? Or with another? There are many answers to many questions in this lovely poetic production, a production that bring laughter to your heart and soul and things to think about and a wonderful end to a delightful story indeed!"

Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended

"...Love makes all the difference. With love, all things are better. Love makes a magic zone.‘ Poets write about love. Poetry professors interpret the meaning of love… from their own personal experience. There Is a Happiness that Morning Is is a clever, intellectual love lesson. Although avid readers of poetry will sustain a higher level of pleasure, this course is a stimulating perusal for anyone!"