Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"... A subplot about Olympia, the too-good-to-be-real daughter of Nathaniel's university mentor, adds further mystery to the proceedings. With four actors playing 10 roles, it's not always easy to track what's happening. Reading the story first wouldn't be a bad idea if you want to get the full flavor. Fisher and Truax generally remain faithful to the fever-dream atmosphere and pre-Freudian hysteria of Hoffmann's tale. Among the quartet of actors, lithe and hypnotic Simina Contras is a knock-out in the dual roles of Clara and Olympia, while Karen Thompson's stark but suggestive lighting almost becomes a character unto itself."
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Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Max Truax's savvy staging comes close to turning the tiny Oracle Productions space into a psychological rabbit hole. Maybe a little too close, in fact: Hoffmann's dense narrative grows more and more obscure until it finally defeats itself, and Truax's staging never becomes the mind fuck it wants to be."
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NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended

"... Bob Fisher’s adaptation of the nineteenth-century short story of the same name, however, does not so much as restructure the plot as scramble it beyond nearly all recognition. The general dynamics of the conflict are clear relatively quickly, but the production as a whole disrupts strict footing as to where, when and who actors are. Violent reflections and diatribes take the place of careful exposition, and general clarity at times suffers from the technical acrobatics Oracle employs. Look elsewhere for tight plot construction and careful pacing or be prepared for at least a second viewing to fully appreciate Fisher’s reimagining of an already multilayered plot. The engaging display of tension-heightening dramatic techniques is what will immediately strike the theater-goer as truly unique and resonant."
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Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...There is one startling moment that sticks in the memory: the fierce, compact Contras leaping into the arms of Belden (not the glass salesman now but a violent husband), who hurls her to the wall, where she crumples—then soars back to him, again and again. Hoffmann’s story also inspired the ballet Coppélia; this explosion of emotion suggests an alternate play with less talking and more transcendence."
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Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

"... There is something passing strange at the Oracle Theatre, and you won’t want to miss it. In Oracle’s The Sandman, dreams are not to be trusted, illusion and reality are constantly confused, and childhood fairytales prove to be fatal. Bob Fisher’s stage adaptation of E.T.A Hoffman’s 1816 fantastical, somewhat stream-of-conscious work, “Der Sandmann” is 80 minutes of heart-pounding, riveting live theatre."
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Chicago Now - Highly Recommended

"...THE SANDMAN is a thoroughly engrossing oddity. Oracle always pulls me into their head games. I find their creative expressions to be impressive and usually amusing. Of all their thought-provoking spectacles, THE SANDMAN is probably my favorite. And it’s free through Oracle's commitment to Public Access to Theatre. If you snooze, you lose... get there!"
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