East of Berlin & The Russian Play at Signal Ensemble Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended

"...The acting here is exceptional. One scene between Fenderson's self-loathing Rudi and Keller's exquisitely vulnerable yet determined Sarah is so profoundly sad, it sits with me still. It is an intimate act interrupted by the kind of terrible questions that, when the sins of the father are so great, make even future pleasures feel immoral — or maybe transformative. I don't know. I'm not sure the play does, either."

Chicago Sun Times - Recommended

"... Nazis and Communists. Okay, I’ve gotten your attention. Happily, Toronto-based playwright Hannah Moscovitch is far more subtle about such matters. She has titled her two one-acts “East of Berlin” and “The Russian Play,” and they now comprise an intriguing double-bill at the Signal Ensemble Theatre, under the skillful direction of Ronan Marra. Each drama turns out to be a thought-provoking, mood-spinning work that tunnels its way into aspects of history, politics and identity by way of a journey through the heart."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...These gripping one-acts by Hannah Moscovitch depict ordinary lives breaking apart as they fall into the gravitational pull of the 20th century."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"... This pair of one-acts serves as young Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch’s introduction to Chicago. Audiences are likely to leave wanting more. Much of 2007’s East of Berlin is a monologue delivered by Rudi (Billy Fenderson), a German who grew up in Paraguay. Through a classmate, Rudi learns his father was a Nazi doctor who performed human experiments in concentration camps. We don’t meet the father; the play is about the son, a Hamlet figure who must deal with paternal legacy."

ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended

"...Ronan Marra found and expertly directs Canadian Hannah Moscovitch’s two one-acts: East of Berlin and The Russian Play. I can’t remember when I’ve witness such a riveting and fully engrossing new works!"

Around The Town Chicago - Recommended

"... Signal Ensemble Theatre’s mission is to inspire their audiences with a variety of compelling theater and thus their current production, two one act plays by Hannah Moscovitch, “East of Berlin” and “The Russian Play” fit perfectly. These are two one act plays, the first, “East of Berlin” roughly 90 minutes is an interesting look at a young man, Rudi ( a strong performance by Billy Fenderson who needs to work on projection) who is coming home to Paraguay to confront his father."

Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended

"... Sweetly sardonic but ultimately as uncompromising as the first offering, The Russian Play, despite its title, is much more subversive than generic. Harvesting depression with heavy accents and soulful looks, the three actors squeeze suffering like juice from an orange. It’s so sad that it has to be funny."