Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"..."Equivocation" is not bereft of laughs. It has some appeal as a field trip, or literary treasure hunt, for graduate students of the humanities. Nor is it without smarts: Cain quite cleverly works Shakespeare's biography (such as it is) into his yarn, poking fun at everything from the Bard's notorious pandering to the Tudors in "Richard III" to his obsession with killing off his characters — when confronted with that criticism, Shag gets defensive, arguing that war dead should not be included in the count. And there is one genuinely hilarious scene featuring the very funny Bruce A. Young's Richard, stuck playing King Lear half-naked with only some fool for company."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"... Director Sean Graney, in peak form, deftly moves his supremely brainy and talented cast in the play’s speed-of-light mood shifts, with William Boles’ handsome set adding to the atmosphere. Everyone here is operating in breathtaking overdrive in a play that also pays homage to the theater."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Under the direction of Sean Graney (taking a wisely unaffected approach to Cain's densely wrought brain exercise), an agile six-person ensemble sprints deftly through their physical and verbal paces, switching locales, personae and levels of consciousness with split-second alacrity. As for playgoers confused by the juxtaposition of humor with scenes of gruesome menace, we have Fr. Garnet's observation regarding the mutually beneficial contrast of laughter with tragedy. Indeed, theater buffs may recall a classic scene of bloody murder, followed closely by a hungover doorman's monologue on the topic of—what else?—equivocation."
Centerstage - Recommended
"... In "Equivocation," playwright Bill Cain defines his title as follows: "to answer the question that's really being asked, the question beneath the question." Unfortunately, Sean Graney's production currently running at Victory Gardens never once displays any inkling that there might be something going on underneath its surface. In many of Graney's earlier works he was at least set free to fashion as lavish and stylized a surface, but with this play he has been charged with delivering something closer to reality. And on that account he and his production fail, miserably."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...There’s some small initial amusement in Cain’s willfully anachronistic language, hearing Shag and his actor pals speaking about their 17th-century current events in modern American Sorkinese. The tone of Cain’s script and the pacing of Sean Graney’s production suggest the Old Globe as The West Wing. But that’s not enough to sustain two and a half hours onstage. Cain’s work relies far too heavily on theatrical in-jokes such as quoting Shakespeare’s other works or giving his daughter, Judith (a grating Minita Gandhi), a soliloquy about how she hates soliloquies. They’re devices meant to congratulate audiences on being in the club. What’s missing is a real emotional core beneath the cleverness."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"... Cain deftly weaves together the complex threads of his narrative, notably the shifts between the intramural conflicts within the acting company and the Shakespeare’s interviews with the allegedly conspirators (they would be called terrorists today). But Cain’s canny dramaturgy doesn’t fully disguise the fact that his play is too long, especially in the second act. Much of the act is consumed with the performance of scenes from Macbeth that are anti-climactic after all the previous intellectual fireworks."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"... The acting and the production values of Equivocation are first-class. William Boles’ stunning set design with Janice Pytel’speriod-perfect costumes evoking 17th fashions and heatherGilbert’s lighting design each contributed to setting the right look and atmosphere. Equivocation is the finest work yet mounted under artisticdirector Chay Yew’s tenure. It is a major theatrical triumphdeservinga large audience."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"... Director Sean Graney has assembled a terrific male ensemble. Marc Grapey is hilarious as a dopey and dour Shagspeare. He receives excellent support from Matt Haler, Mark Montgomery, Arturo Soria and Bruce A. Young, who are hilarious and heart-breaking in turn. Only Minita Gandhi as Shakespeare's daughter seems a bit at sea here. Graney's designers, as always, deliver big time. William Boles' classic set, Heather Gilbert's sophisticated lighting, and Janice Pytel's costumes are all top drawer."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"... William Boles set is a backstage area that becomes several different areas of the theater as well as places in the Kingdom- very flexible and never a detraction from the fun on the stage. Janice Pytel’s costumes are clever;Heather Gilbert has some great lighting effects and Kevin ‘Donnell’s sound and music are delightful additions to a solid performance piece. Ryan Bourque handles the fight choreography to make sure that the actors do not suffer the pain that appears to be very real. Once again, Chicago audiences are luck to have Victory Gardens doing some new and unusual works in order to reach out to a broader audience. This one does just that; whether young or old, you will find this production a true theatrical experience, solid in every way!"
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...With so much political rhetoric today, Equivocation is a great reminder that the theatre can, and often does, capture history and outlast political agendas. Director Sean Graney leads a talented cast and crew in this brilliant production sure to make you laugh, empathize, and celebrate the sometimes morally difficult process of theater making."
Splash Magazine - Somewhat Recommended
"...Equivocation, written by Bill Cain and now playing at Victory Gardens, is a whole lot of play packed into two hours. Plot points include, in no particular order, the Gun Powder plot, the strained relationship between Shakespeare (or Shag as he is called here) and his daughter, the damaging effect torture has on a country’s morality, and the essential nature of truth or rather “the ability to tell the truth in difficult times (to equivocate).” Equivocation is mostly a morality play (and does its best to link one failed terrorist plot with the more recent successful one in New York). It is also a comedy and often openly flirts with the audience (in one soliloquy the actress states how much she hates soliloquies)."
