Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Bowling's production never fully takes off as one hopes. Part of the problem, I think, is the simple matter that Brooks' character comes off as a much stronger personality than Parkes'. In other words, it feels like a mismatch."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Given the intense perils and near unmanageability of our current geopolitical situation, particularly when it comes to the proliferation of nuclear weapons and dirty bombs, Lee Blessing’s 1986 play, “A Walk in the Woods” — now in a finely acted revival-with-a-twist by TimeLine Theatre — is enough to generate a certain intense nostalgia."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...We expect first-rate shows from TimeLine Theatre, and the troupe delivers again with this engaging, even sprightly production of A Walk in the Woods, Lee Blessing's intelligent rumination on the wary friendship between American and Soviet arms-reduction negotiators. As a two-character play, it's a smaller scale production than usual for TimeLine, which doesn't stop sure-handed director Nick Bowling from taking a fresh approach: with Blessing's OK, the Soviet negotiator has undergone a sex change and now is a woman."
Talkin Broadway - Recommended
"...A Walk in the Woods is not a great play—it would need a stronger-written Honeyman and a more compelling arc to be a great play. But it's a thoughtful and very witty one, offering the chance to see a very fine performance by one of Chicago's very best actresses."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...What may sound like dry, uninspiring theatre couldn’t be more exciting. Not only is Blessing’s play extremely well-written, but Nick Bowling has directed his production like a taut international chess match. His unaffected, purposeful staging allows the two actors to breathe life into their characters and continually grow and change with the seasons. The production is gorgeously enhanced by Brian Sidney Bembridge’s symbolic forest setting and atmospheric lighting, coupled with Andrew Hansen’s realistic sound design and Mike Tutaj’s stunning, moving projections that take us through the year. The result is a total woodland sensory experience, complete with gently blowing breezes."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Both performances are skillful and nuanced, with Parkes’s Honeyman warming to Anya’s digressions even as he grows disillusioned with his assignment and the unlikelihood of a real nuclear-disarmament deal. But Blessing’s play remains both simplistic and static, with the two characters endlessly circling a park bench.acqueline Firkins’s seasonal costumes and Mike Tutaj’s vegetative video projections try futilely to infuse the play with some motion. One wonders if it had more import when the Cold War was still present tense."
Chicago Theatre Addict - Highly Recommended
"...So, yeah. Who’d have thought a play about nuclear arms negotiation would make for such great comedy? I know I wasn’t expecting to enjoy myself as much as I did. And Timeline’s production is fantastic. See it."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Director Nick Bowling’s decision to cast Janet Ulrich Brooks as the cynical Russian was a brilliant move since Brooks played Anya as a powerful, even dominant personality who early on sets the agenda that David Parks’ Honeyman has to adapt to. The psychological duel for power and command in the hands of two terrific actors makes for a most intriguing evening of theatre. With this work, we get a glimpse into the world high stakes diplomacy where personal relationships often trump over political necessities. This two-hander is a tour de force for David Parks and Janet Ulrich Brooks."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Somewhat Recommended
"...The result for Nick Bowling’s backfiring staging: the dialogue feels much lighter and the arguments much less consequential. Nothing seems as serious or at stake in this belated vehicle for Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Nuclear proliferation, ha—this feels more about who buys dinner on the date and who closes the courtship—I mean, the deal."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...The woods are a colorful backdrop for the political tryst. Scenic Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge and Projections Designer Mike Tutaj work together to create seasonal changes. Bembridge has staggered cut-out tree shapes. Tutaj projects video on the trees to designate the time period. I especially liked the summer leaves fluttering visual whereas winter starkness is still. The nature imagery adds to the character development. It’s a pleasant setting for discussions on global destruction."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...While I found the events to be a wonderful story, I was far more impressed by the ability of the director and the actors to tell the story. Having one of the characters be a female made for a little more tension between the characters.Almost two hours of talking between these two characters felt much shorter and was most entertaining and enlightening. Once again, Timeline has put before us a theatrical experience."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...TimeLine has once again taken the past and dramatized it to great effect. A Walk in the Woods is a riveting meditation on the similarities and differences between societies and psyches, war and peace, and man and woman, among other dichotomies. Thanks to its great script, talented cast and capable production crew, this is definitely a production not to be missed."
