Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"... The play, which debuted at the Steppenwolf's 2006 First Look festival, all but announced Wegrzyn onto the scene as a writer with chops to spare, and it led to an off-Broadway production that was then knocked around a bit by New York critics. Wegrzyn has since tweaked the script, but certain issues remain. The dark wit is as sharp as ever, particularly in its depiction of lower-middle class suburban malaise, and the first act is nearly perfect in its sulfurous sense of narrative purpose — a slice-of-absurdist-life drama that suggests what a show such as "Shameless" might look like if it were set in Wisconsin rather than Chicago."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...It's all smarter, funnier, and truer than it sounds, thanks to Wegrzyn's extraordinary ability to imbue goofiness with menace. Director Shade Murray and his unflappable cast hold the script's warring elements in perfect equipoise until the final scenes, when the violence finally blows up and plausibility vanishes."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...The psychological traction required to veer from sitcom farce (yes, there's a scene where an upstanding citizen turns meth-monster) to Grand Guignol melodrama without skidding out of control has become Red Orchid Theatre's stock-in-trade. Kirsten Fitzgerald and Natalie West, in a moose-and-squirrel turn as the squabbling Valerie and Gail, dominate an ensemble featuring Missi Davis as the slackerly Midge, HB Ward as the phlegmatic Donal, and returning Chicago expat Lara Phillips as the compliant Sevenly. Under the direction of Shade Murray, with assistance from Grant Sabin's deceptively cozy kitchen, they guide us on a tour through rural America paced to soothe—just before the ax falls."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Grant Sabin’s set reveals a home in deteriorating condition, whose inhabitants would rather live with the decay than fix it. A piggy bank rests on an exposed wall frame where wallpaper has been stripped away—a small touch that shows the family’s attempts to cozy up a home that’s less than it used to be. In the title role, Fitzgerald dominates the stage with her imposing presence and remarkable emotional depth. Each moment feels urgent and important, whether she’s sitting in silence or holding a meat cleaver to someone’s throat."
Chicago On the Aisle - Somewhat Recommended
"...Talk about a cast of characters. Marisa Wegrzyn’s play “The Butcher of Baraboo,” in its professional world premiere run at A Red Orchid Theatre, packs five colorful personalities – meaning all slightly skewed – into a petri dish of a space. Truth is, from my up-close-and-personal vantage point, the wacky lineup held more charm than the sum of this dark comedy."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...The Butcher of Baraboo is too small for Broadway, but this production certainly validates its many regional theater appearances: it’s economical to stage with a single set and just five characters. The play will also appeal to viewers who enjoy their dramas flavored with both tension and laughs, building to a shocker finish (and based on the lengthy runs of Deathtrap and Mousetrap, who doesn’t?) I was delightfully uncomfortable for most of the play and ready to look away from the stage when the violence threatened to fling some major nastiness at us. But in the final reckoning this is one of the most entertaining shows of the season."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"... Your visit to the kitchen at Valerie’s house will yields a funny and strange dark comedy that will surprise you as much ass it will appall you. Fansof dark comedies will enjoy the trip to Barabooon WellsStreet."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...Their variegated quirks are devilishly mixed and mismatched in Murray’s seething staging. Frank’s fate is only one of many contagious crises that manage to be both mysterious and hilarious, sometimes at the same time. It would be easy to scoff at these cheesehead simpletons but Wegrzyn lavishes so much inside information that they escape caricature and drag us into their weird world. A lesser cast might have exposed the playwright’s crackbrained contrivances but Murray’s prankster players are too busy being real to ever fall apart."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...Playwright Marisa Wegrzyn penned an absurd mystery. Her ordinary Wisconsin folk take on dark personas in this clever farce. Wegrzyn gathers a flock of red herrings and slits their throats one by one. It’s clever and zany. Under the direction of Shade Murray, the audience easily pulls up a chair into this family’s kitchen table saga. Murray keeps the comedy and drama riveting and tense."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...While this could be classified as a mystery, it is one filled with lots of comic touches. Of particular note, a scene when Gail ( Ms West is a pleasure to watch) decides to see what drugs can do to a person. This is to help her spread the word of D.A.R.E. to the local teens- amazing timing, in fact flawless. In a scene when Fitzgerald hog-ties her daughter ( Ryan Bourque has done an amazing job in coordinating the violence scenes) and tosses her around, being only a few feet from the action, one can only hope that no harm comes to these highly skilled performers. This is a large production in a small venue which I suggest you find a way to put on your theater schedule. I also want to give a thumbs up to Linda Laake for the props in this show, wow!"
