Closer Than I Appear at Steppenwolf Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...Good for Garlin. He's true to our town, respectful of his roots, willing to crash and burn, more a truth teller than not. At one point, he burned what felt like forever describing his own esoteric strip mall, filled with characters and retail outlets not unlike himself. When you added that to his giveaways and his airfare refunds, and his constant use of the word "owe," you start to see that Garlin is ambivalent about actually taking people's money when, as he likes to say, "this is a show, but not really," yet he cannot do a show any other way. When you were born and raised in Morgan Park, that is as it should be."

Chicago Sun Times - Recommended

"...All the while you will note (as will Garlin himself) that at the same time he is performing and reacting, he also is observing both himself and the overall arc of response he has gotten. In fact, one of the more intriguing aspects of his show is sensing how he can simultaneously be "inside" it, and standing at a remove from it, in order to become his own editor/critic/laugh meter. What's more, he will accurately report back to the audience about how it has all gone and where the lulls occurred."

ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended

"...More than anything though, Mr. Garlin is in love with Chicago and Chicago is in love with him. From references to his friend Tracy Letts as well as pointing out what critics usually comes to review his act, Garlin puts forward a Chicago-centric show that oozes with the comfortableness of having him living amongst us."

Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

"...Jeff Garlin, comedian and star performer in HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, appears in his one-man show Closer Than I Appear at the Steppenwolf Theatre Upstairs. Although it is possible to describe the evening through a seemingly free-associative list of objects - a suitcase, plastic jack o' lantern, orange note pad, red shoes - the one truth of any of the following performances is that they will not be the same. Mr. Garlin is an alumnus of Chicago's own Second City, and remains dedicated to the practice of improvisation, candidly informing the audience that he does not have a script, a set, or any particular plan for the shared time."