Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...Pearle's well-cast play, starring Katherine Keberlein and Michael Aaron Lindner as the parents, with Cindy Gold as their admissions guru, is, on its face, concerned with a boy exhibiting signs of feeling constrained by his gender. You might think such a play would deal with parents wondering how to reflect that, or disguise that, on the kid's application. And so it does, but here's the rub. Gold's Judy, who knows the admissions game, points out that all Manhattan private schools think of themselves as progressive and that to specifically refer to a gender-questioning kid and his gender-variant play may just be the calling card the kid needs to stand out from the pile."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...It seems like playwright Daniel Pearle is out to needle privileged, hypocritical liberals, yet he can't quite muster the necessary vitriol or outrage. Still, Alex's sustained panic attack yields some gripping moments, and, in Keira Fromm's About Face Theatre staging, Katherine Keberlein tears into them, imbuing her scenes with a volatile mix of ferocity and hurt."
Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Director Keira Fromm and a sturdy ensemble of off-loop regulars keep a firm grip on Pearle's increasingly slippery material, imposing a veneer of plausibility on dynamics that strain credulity, but 105 intermissionless minutes are still necessary to cover a slate of talking points geared more toward promoting lively post-show discussions than drawing conclusions or forging resolutions. In the end, the only lesson we take away is the importance of thinking very, very carefully before embarking on the path to parenthood."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...Pearle's 2013 drama is an interesting choice for the LGBTQ-focused About Face, putting a pin as it does in the idea of nature versus nurture in early childhood, and what effect assigning a "variant" label to a kid like Jake might have. Pearle approaches the questions his scenario raises thoughtfully and thoroughly, and Keira Fromm's production benefits from an outstanding and equally incisive cast."
Theatre By Numbers - Somewhat Recommended
"...I really had a hard time rating this one. If you want to go see a decently-performed play with good production values, have at it. If you like Michael Aaron Lindner (and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing whatever he does next), fine, go see it. But if you're looking for a play that take a thoughtful look at gender identity and children, SKIP IT. You're wasting your time."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...Fromm does a fine job of stirring the pot that Pearle provides. About Face’s acting quartet is focused like lasers on every nuance in a volatile script. This is a hair-trigger play that fires off a ton of forensic shots in a mere 105 minutes. It’s good that About Face offers Sunday symposia with developmental experts following the matinee: Patrons are bound to have questions that Pearle rightly refuses to confirm or deny."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Keira Fromm balances the story so that even though Alex is plainly in denial because she doesn't want her mistakes scrutinized, her concerns are understandable. Dan Stratton's set, filled with neatly arranged toys, is a constant reminder these are loving parents. This drama is about them, not the child, and people expecting otherwise will be disappointed. However, Pearle's representations of what he has witnessed are skillfully drawn and thought provoking, even though he pushes them a little towards his desired conclusion. You may not respect the class of people he observed, but they are undeniably influential. These actors must relish the chance to play characters fighting for the future of the most important thing in their lives. It's a strong start for a new playwright, and About Face Theatre strengthens it further."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...A Kid Like Jake is an intimate play in an intimate space and anything it lacks is more than made up for by its timeliness and utter sincerity. About Face is currently doing some of the city's most unapologetically political theatre. Respect is due for their ability to lodge ideological goals in work that feels about as far away from diatribes and rhetoric as possible. This play resonates not because of Laverne Cox or Leelah Alcorn or Transparent or the Affordable Care Act. As Kiera Fromm points out in her director's note, "visibility does not constitute change." A Kid Like Jake's nobility lies in its communion with that which frightens us. Acceptance is the rightful heir to all that locks us up as humans. All we have to do is believe in it."
The Fourth Walsh - Somewhat Recommended
"...We never meet Jake in A KID LIKE JAKE. He is only described by the adults in his life. Although Pearle gives him plenty of personality through the stories shared, I would have enjoyed the show more if Jake had made an appearance. Without his youthful presence, the adults easily forget he’s just a kid. The play is much more “Parents like Jake’s.” Actually meeting Jake would have put the focus on him and not just his scholastic career."
NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...The genuinely interesting question of Jake’s gender identity is lost for long stretches, buried underneath a storm of entitled whining, backhanded remarks and just straight-up unpleasant yelling. Alex especially is painted by Pearle as a Colonel Kilgore-level helicopter mom who several times left this reviewer’s hands unconsciously curling into a strangulating motion from sheer frustration."