Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...In Anderson's juicy cutlet of a plot, an idealistic young Republican congressman finds himself with a seat on the House Appropriations Committee and is shocked, shocked to discover that the bills that emerge from its greasy meetings are laden with special ingredients used in one of two ways: to curry favor with constituents and buy votes, or to feather the beds of the committee members themselves."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...The timing could not be better. Nor could the play. Just as the country’s political machines launch into high gear in preparation for the 2014 midterm elections, Remy Bumppo Theatre is presenting “Both Your Houses,” Maxwell Anderson’s 1933 Pulitzer Prize-winning satire about how Congress, and all aspects of American politics and business, really operate."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...Blessed with terrific ensemble work, James Bohnen’s crisp and crackling staging ups the ante in every scene. Including all the usual suspects, Anderson’s cunning cast of caricatures are all too recognizable today—log-rolling, horse-trading, short-sighted pols intent on reelection, which means putting local concerns over the national interest. The result: Boodle built into bills—sweetheart deals where quid pro quo and conflict of interest mean that the devil takes the hindmost. It isn’t quite as nefarious as lobbyists writing legislation, but let’s just say that the steel interests never leave the table empty-handed."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...As theatre, Both Your Houses is an engrossing, fabulously acted and directed play that features a committed ensemble who understand Anderson’s theme as they yield all the sarcasm and satire as well as biting dark humor that humanizes the foibles of these power mongers. Could a present day Congressional Committee be much different than the one shown at the Greenhouse Theatre? I doubt it."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...In an ensemble full of fabulous character faces and voices, David Darlow's Sol Fitzmaurice carries the evening with his unapologetic, politically incorrect portrait of a once idealistic, now jaded and emotionally bankrupt old guard pol. Guzzling bootleg whiskey and hilariously quipping his way through endless meetings, he slowly draws us into his increasingly anachronistic world. He is a dinosaur and knows it."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Satire is fun to watch. We have all become observers to the political arena due to our high tech lives, where everything is immediate when it comes to news and politics. Back in the 1930′s this was not the case. Therefore , as we gaze upon the subject matter in Maxwell Anderson’s Pulitzer Prize winning “Both Your Houses” as presented by Remy Bumppo Theatre, we get a glimpse at history that may not have been taught in our classrooms as we grew up. The question that arises is, “Has Congress changed from the early days? Do politicians still bargain as we see in the case of our Congressmen playing give and take with the funds of the annual budget?"
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Today with Congress continually and deservedly the subject of every comedian’s monologue, Maxwell Anderson’s 1933 dramatic portrayal of American government isn’t that far-fetched. What was once considered fictional fabrication is now, unfortunately, seen as realism. Today the country would welcome a Mr. Smith going to Washington to straighten things out; perhaps a play like this excellent production from Remy Bumppo is the closest we’ll ever get to experiencing a good, thorough housecleaning."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...“Both Your Houses” is a gutsy choice to open the Remy Bumppo 2014-2015 season. Political drama is by no means a sure fire topic to attract playgoers, not in the electronic era, when Jon Stewart and Saturday Night Live come up with new satirical material every week. But the Remy Bumppo revival burnishes any antique quaintness from Anderson’s script. Yes, at the end Alan delivers a speech in which he guarantees that within a few decades the highbinders in Washington will be flushed out by an outraged America with decent and honest legislators taking their place. OK, so Maxwell Anderson may not have been a prophet, but he still wrote a drama capable of nailing an audience with its wit and indignation and powers of observation. And Remy Bumppo has done the play proud."