Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Tummelson is indeed a sympathetic presence, though a tad young for the part, and Cutler makes an auspicious debut as Tom. Kevin Gladish as Tom's well-meaning but clueless dad, Herb, and Nick Horst as Al, Tom's roommate, also deliver strong turns. However, DeFaria overplays the gruffness and swagger of Bill, who, Anderson coyly suggests, is a closet case himself. This "Tea" needs a shot of stronger spirits to get across to a contemporary audience."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...Robert Anderson’s “Tea and Sympathy,” now in a sensitively wrought revival by The Artistic Home, is vintage 1950s American fare — a drama that calls to mind the work of both Lillian Hellman (though it is less caustic) and filmmaker Douglas Sirk."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...For the student, played by a perfectly green and gangly Andrew Cutler, this means proving his masculinity to the resident jocks and his distant father. For the lonely wife, well played with sophisticated sensuality by Kate Tummelson, this means finding her voice in a disintegrating marriage. The situations may be old-fashioned, but bullies are still bullies and puberty is always painful."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...If all of Anderson's het males were portrayed as thuggish pigs, it would be easy for us to jeer (as several opening-night playgoers did) at the rigid gender roles prevalent in the post-WW II years. Director David New chooses to address the more timely existential question of individual identity, however, instructing his actors to look beneath the surface of what their characters may profess for hints of doubt regarding their society's insistence on "learning to run with the other horses," and in doing so, rendering the text's ambiguities—some maybe undetected by the author—to develop on their own merits."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...This stunning, eloquent production has the appropriate look and feel of the 1950s. As directed by David New, every movement, every word of this play becomes significant and his talented cast rise to the occasion. Andrew Cutler creates a perfectly nuanced, beautifully sensitive Tom Lee in his Chicago professional debut. Kate Tummelson brings grace and tenderness to her quietly dignified Laura balanced by Peter DeFaria’s macho Bill, who may have a secret of his own."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...David New’s production is handsome, high-minded and dull. Andrew Cutler’s Tom is adequately guileless and Kate Tummelson’s Laura is adequately compassionate, but neither conveys the lonely desperation needed to enliven their roles. As Bill, Laura’s homophobic husband, Peter DeFaria allows a moment when we sense that all of his smugness and bluster is a defense against desires he can’t bear to name. This moment is the show’s single revelatory feature, but it’s too little, too late."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Andrew Cutler, in his professional acting debut, played Tom so honestly that we never know his true identity until the end. Kate Tummelson plays Laura with a subtle strength while Peter DeFaria lets his pent-up emotions explode during the crisis. Tea and Sympathy is an effective and engrossing cautionary tale that still needs to be dealt with in the 21st Century."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"... Director David New has done the best he can with an unworkable space that is simply too cramped to be believable as a multi room college dorm house. For all the money and effort lavished on renovating the former Theatre Building, what good did it do when the sight lines are so poor? I hope that my experience was unique and that audiences will be able to see beyond (or see at all for that matter) the limitations of The Artistic Home's venue. This is a worthy script with potentially moving performances from Kate Tummelson and Andrew Cutler that deserve our sympathies."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Recommended
"...TEA AND SYMPATHY is an evolution reality check. Even after sixty years, bullying and homophobia is still prevalent. I recommend seeing this show to nudge yourself out of being an ‘understanding bystander’ on gay rights. Without empathy, nothing ever changes."
Sheridan Road - Highly Recommended
"...There is a magical theatre experience at Stage 773, the Artistic Home is presenting Tea and Sympathy. It is a powerful, beguiling and - yes - a magical production."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...I was initially worried that sitting through three acts would be interminable, but each time the lights went up I couldn’t wait to return to my seat to see more. This is a nuanced story in capable hands; it is neither heavy-handed nor saccharine, and raises questions that are as relevant today as they were in 1953."