Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...But Payne does raise some strong questions about just who gets to fight back against oppression, as well as the difficulty of fighting against those mainstream bigots who, like Musgrove, "just hate people in a more soothing tone of voice." While I remain unconvinced that Payne's first-act characters would enact the second-act catastrophes, he at least has the courage to play out the consequences of their turn to violence to the bitter end."
Chicago Sun Times - Not Recommended
"...The play's premise is not at all bad: Set in Georgia, it homes in on the desperate, hypocritical tactics used in the political campaigns of two state senatorial candidates, both women - one an out-and-proud lesbian, and the other a voice for the far right. But the whole interminable thing trades in the most grotesque homosexual cliches, as well as in mindless brutality and (self-described) vigilante/terrorist action perpetrated by three gay men. Were it not so dreadful from every perspective it could be written off as a farce. But that would be too kind."
Edge - Recommended
"...A whip-smart, relevant and incendiary script from Payne is complemented by savvy media work from Technical Director Landon Welsh and Videographer Alex Thompson. The team integrates the loud, colorful, harassing 24/7 news cycle into the production's political themes, turning it into an important virtual character. This character is nearly as compelling as the human ones who traverse the stage, inhabited by a group of actors whose compelling, nuanced acting is to be uniformly celebrated."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...But Payne takes his characters on a sharp, dark dive midway through the second act that’s undeniably interesting and unexpected, but not entirely earned in story. We need a bit more groundwork laid in order to fully buy the extreme and horrifying actions ultimately taken by Cooper, Bennett and others. Still, in Pride’s engaging, well-acted production, Angry Fags is easily the most conversation-driving show of this year’s Garage Rep."
Stage and Cinema - Somewhat Recommended
"...Director Derek Van Barham couldn't wish for a more stylish production, its intensity goosed by G. Maxin IV's galvanizing scenic and media design. The streamlined show is fueled by focused performances fr0m seven splendidly cast, viscerally vital performers. (Also effective are Dennis Frymire as a hapless detective and Lisa Herceg as the very agreeable office manager.)"
ChicagoCritic - Not Recommended
"...This controversial play is a major departure for Pride Films and Plays. They have offered many terrific works that further their causes and lifestyle in a positive, entertaining manner- unfortunately, Angry Fags does the opposite."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Tophyer Payne’s “Angry Fags” is a strange play. It initially it appears to center around Allison Haines (Kelli Walker): an openly gay female senator from Georgia. As the play opens, she interacts with audience members with charisma and charm, asking for their votes, and in a clever bit of meta-theatrical protocol, asking if they are sure that their cell-phones are turned off. It’s an election year (possibly 2016: President Obama is office), and she is pitted against Peggy Musgrove (Joanne McGrath), a moderate conservative who has aligned herself with far-right evangelical Christian organizations. Both women are warm and likable; in fact, they seem like foils; struggling to balance political necessity with personal convictions and interpersonal obligations, and while it clearly taking a toll on both of them, they are managing."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...With a style somewhat reminiscent of 2014’s Tony Award-winning musical, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Topher Payne’s gay crime melodrama is filled tension but laced with moments of black humor and rigged with unexpected twists and turns. The script could use a bit of tightening here and there, but as it now plays it’s an entertaining, often humorous slice of pulp fiction, produced by one of Chicago’s increasingly savvy and reliable theatre companies."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Director Derek Van Barham's troupe doesn't miss an opportunity to drop a one-liner on a dime, or to wring pathos out of a single bead of sweat. As the protagonists, Kevin Webb and James Nedrud charm and frighten. Webb gives us an ostensibly gentle character, equipped with great cunning and as capable of violence as, if we are to believe the pundit, are we all. Nedrud shoulders the challenge of a character with a core of steel wrapped in an unfocused and flighty persona; his shoulders are equal to the task. We see a great deal of Nedrud, and all of him is easy on the eyes."
