Gruesome Playground Injuries presented by Rasaka Theatre Company at Chopin Theatre

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...A pair of self-destructive lovers pick at each others' scabs—both literally and metaphorically—in this 2009 two-hander. Rajiv Joseph's tender, thoughtful script chronicles Doug and Kayleem's relationship from schoolyard crush to thorny thirtysomething affair."

Centerstage - Somewhat Recommended

"... Beneath the surface, the play’s got serious flaws. Its gender dynamics are disappointingly predictable and clichéd. We have the classic “good guy” putting a beautiful, damaged girl on a pedestal and devoting his life to her even though she rarely shows appreciation for it. Male lust is always portrayed as selfless love if it’s sufficiently monomaniacal."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...This could all get very emo, but Joseph (best known for Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, which was short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize in 2010) maintains a buoyant tone throughout. He displays a special talent for blending heavy themes with a playful quirkiness that stops just short of being too cutesy. His script is well-served by Lavina Jadhwani’s fleet and funny production, which features a spare, blue-and-white scenic design (by Roger Wykes) that alternately suggests a hospital room and a hockey rink."

Chicago Theatre Addict - Somewhat Recommended

"... In Rasaka Theatre Company’s appropriately bare-bones production directed by Lavina Jadhwani, Joseph’s macabre and peculiar vignettes are well presented, helping uncover the quirky necessity of this dysfunctional relationship. That is, until the action nearly comes to a halt several times during distractingly complex on-stage costume changes. Martin and Makkar play well off each other, but seem a bit too in control for characters whose survival requires living outside convention."