Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"... After the Goodman's mammoth production of "The Iceman Cometh" this past spring, it's refreshing — if one ever uses that adjective in conjunction with Eugene O'Neill — to revisit America's poet laureate of the dark night of the soul in cozier quarters. And when it comes to finding a simple but effective metaphor for the famously haunted Tyrone clan (doppelgangers of the playwright's own deeply dysfunctional family), Eclipse Theatre's production of "Long Day's Journey Into Night" nails it."
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Chicago Sun Times - Recommended

"...As the hours unfold, and the whiskey and morphine take hold, the Tyrones (plus their fesity maid, played by Jamielyn Gray, who serves as Mary's confidante) engage in endless bouts of denial and confession, delving into the past even as they try to manage the present. To be sure, O'Neill's plays make serious demands on both his actors and his audience, but there are rewards for those who ride the waves with him."
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Chicago Reader - Recommended

".... Nathaniel Swift's revival-the culminating production in Eclipse Theatre's season of O'Neill-starts off slow and stiff. But the performances improve as the drama heats up, until, by the end of hour two, they catch fire. Susan Monts-Bologna, in particular, turns in a powerful, finely nuanced performance as Mary Tyrone, the morphine-addicted matriarch whose heartbreaking decline drags down the rest of the clan."
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NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...Eclipse's production misses the mark of this pivotal play all too often. Luckily, O'Neill's script holds its own as a heartbreaking work of art. This is a play that relies heavily on the intensity and interpretation of its lines. The male cast doesn't seem to have a sense of the speaking pattern of this time period, and it's unfortunately all too apparent in flat monologues and lukewarm exchanges. Patrick Blashill as James Tyrone looks far too young to be the father of a thirty-four-year-old son and hardly distinguishes himself as a father figure. Joe McCauly is hopelessly miscast in the role of James Tyrone Jr. McCauly seems to be in a race to recite his lines and gives up any attempt at sincerity early in the first act. The tragic character of Edmund Tyrone is played tirelessly by Stephen Dale who, while not nailing it, is at least trying."
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Windy City Times - Recommended

"...The tendency of most theater companies essaying this much-analyzed drama is to depict its characters as weary and enervated, chafing under the burdens of their own hopelessness and helplessness. However, Eclipse Theater doesn't go that route. Rejecting academic classical-tragedy and "American Chekhov" paradigms, director Nathaniel Swift and his cast present us with a clan whose copious consumption of sedatives-morphine for mother Mary, and whiskey for her consorts-masks their simmering anger and despair, resulting in vigorous and surprisingly fast-paced performances. This atmosphere of exigency is facilitated by Kevin Hagan's wing-and-border parlor, its two-dimensionality on the small studio stage offering no refuge for Stanislavksian posturing, but instead highlighting text long-obscured even in repeat viewings."
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ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended

"...The Eclipse Theatre production contains four of the finest performances by non-Equity actors seen on Chicago stages this year! Susan Monts-Bolgna, as Mary Cavan Tyrone, reached into the depths of what it is to live in denial as a morphine addict. She has several long, wrenching speeches each delivered in brilliant nuanced profoundness. Patrick Blashill honestly played James Sr. as the agonized patriarch struggling to keep order among his troubled family. Joe McCauley, a James Jr., played the drunken eldest son with explosive rage while Stephan Dale, as Edmund Tyrone, articulated magnificently the yearning toward the sea and the bitterness of his life. These players were so committed and respectful of the work that it showed throughout."
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Around The Town Chicago - Recommended

"... O’Neill writes ( as do most) from his own experiences and life, mixed with some fiction of course and most of his characters are somewhat dysfunctional. In “Journey”, we are once again in Connecticut, in fact his home located at 138 Pequot Avenue , a summer home along the coast. In this production, the family name is Tyrone and the father, James ( a strong performance by Patrick Blashill) and his wife, Mary ( deftly handled by Susan Monts-Bologna ( who has recently come home from being in an institute for drug rehab) are re-connecting after a breakfast with their two sons, Jamie ( James Junior) played by Joe McCauley and his younger brother Edmund ( Stephen Dale). These are the characters in the play, plus, as always there is an Irish maid This role is handled by Jaimelyn Gray, who shows that even a small part can be played so that the audience remembers the character. her brogue is a bit thick at times, but for the most part she nails her role."
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Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended

"...‘Long Day's Journey into Night' is definitely not a show for the casual theatre-goer who really only likes Broadway musicals. At three hours and forty-five minutes, including two intermissions, the play is heavy with dialogue and sub-text, with little physical action. But thanks to Nathaniel Swift's skillful direction, the production is anything but sedentary. Swift smartly breaks the four acts into three almost equal sections, so none of them feel too long, and the audience does not get antsy. Grab a cup of coffee because this production is definitely worth it!"
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