Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...Any New York comparison is absurd. Fitzpatrick and Klein (their lives and on-stage personas being much the same) are strictly Chicago characters. And their summer variety shows, which feature videography, art and music and that include monologue, memoir, confessional and strangely potent little scenes that re-create their banter in Fitzpatrick's studio, don't have an obvious comparison, and therein lies much of their appeal."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"... ‘Nickel History: The Nation of Heat” is the final installment in Tony Fitzpatrick’s theatrical trilogy, a multimedia collage of a work by the Chicago artist-writer-actor who zigzags between quasi-autobiography and a vivid living journal to muse on such subjects as fathers, war, tough guys, hidden hearts, beauty, nature, loss, memory, poetry and the relative value of art and friendship."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Too often the pair, backed by live jazz, video projections, and a wandering 1940s pinup girl, touch perfunctorily on disparate topics: their lousy teenage jobs, their fathers' service in World War II, Native American religious beliefs, haiku, starlings, New Orleans, the Cubs, Disco Demolition at Comiskey. Little connects or progresses. Fitzpatrick, as usual, has charisma to spare. Klein could use some."
Centerstage - Recommended
"...What’s interesting here is how the revisiting of form proves stimulating rather than derivative. This is evident both in Kristin Reeves’ ever more sophisticated videography and in the actors’ performances. In a nice coherence, these elements have built on their predecessors just as Fitzpatrick himself ruminates on personal and urban history, using memory to fuel forward motion."
Chicago Stage Review - Highly Recommended
"...Despite Fitzpatrick’s entertaining bravado, Nickel History: The Nation of Heat presents a breathtaking reverence for the story. Not the delivery, not the punch line, not the reaction; but the rather the journey is paramount. We feel that we are on a road trip with old friends. Personal revelations, seasoned with wonderful warmth, genuine chemistry and generous humor, make this a captivating trip down roads less traveled to a Chicago that is both intimately private and wonderfully familiar."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Tony’s observations in his trilogy are both personal and universal; his wit and humor have a crude rawness that highlights his honesty and down-to-earth realism. His urban provocateur temperament and basic need to tell his story fuels his showmanship. He is funny, self-mocking and totally uninhibited. He says what’s on his mind.He and his pal Stan Klein are totally honest souls who use humor, wit and truth to link the past, present and future. You’ll not see a more sophisticated yet down-to-earth evening of storytelling performance art than Nickel History. Getting to know Tony Fitzpatrick and Stan Klein is to get to know contemporary artists with soul and vivid memories. You’ll enjoy this show as you experience these Chicago originals."
