The Sea presented by Theatre Mir at Theater Wit

Windy City Times - Recommended

"...Theatre Mir's non-representational aesthetic is evidenced in Magritte-like motifs: characters are ensconced in pews before filing onstage in drill-formation. Thomas Dixon's soundscape begins by locating us in a hurricane so realistic that we can almost feel the salt spray, only to send us home two hours later with a merry march played on the kazoo. A funeral is reduced to slapstick chaos, with mourners hurling the deceased's ashes at one another in playground-sandbox fury."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...Though Jonathan Berry’s handsome production features fine performances, particularly Lesser as the raving Hatch and Schneider and Buzan as the mourning young lovers, the director can’t quite reconcile the competing tones."

ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended

"...With giving away too much, let me say that The Sea is a cleverly written and expertly performed whimsical yet dark comedy that works on several levels. The quirkiness underscores the fear of the unknown, the fear of change, and the fear of those different from us that the villagers struggle with. Will Hatch or Mrs. Rafi win out? Will the classes ever work together and who is the real leader of the village? See this wonderfully funny and poignant play as a cautionary tale of manipulation that reminds me of the Republican Presidential Primary."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Somewhat Recommended

"...Despite Director Jonathan Berry's parades and tableaux, the evening drags as each scene overstays its welcome. I did not understand his use of the bleacher full of actors sitting alongside the main playing space who make folio sounds and react occasionally to the action on stage with unified mimed gestures. This Brechtian approach is reflected in Jill Bowarchuk's overly shadowed lighting design and Thomas Dixon's clunky sound which completely obliterated the dialogue in the opening scene."

Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Recommended

"...THE SEA had some lulling effects especially in Act II with multiple long soliloquies. Still, THE SEA is at its best with big waves of Slavick and Egleston rocking the boat. Passage on the voyage is recommended."