Good People at Redtwist Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...The center of gravity, though, is Kiki Layne's performance as Kate; her character is meant to be something of a wild card, and the deeply charismatic Layne doesn't let up for a moment, using casual elegance and precision to shift from an effusive charmer to a vicious, judgmental shrew who isn't necessarily wrong in her sentiments."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...Hawkins dials up the heat accordingly, as Act II finds Margie crashing Mike's elegant home bearing uncomfortable truths about the boy he actually used to be. Yet in the end the play never feels fully cooked-through. Margie seems softer than she should be, and Mike is too transparently seething. The story's prickly complexities settle into comfortable agitprop about privilege and class. Redtwist's Good People is a good production but not a great one. If you saw it at Steppenwolf, you can probably take a pass."

Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended

"...Jacqueline Grandt is magnetic as rough-edged, scrappy, scraping Margie, who ekes out the monthly rent to pay her friend Dottie (the dryly riotous Kathleen Ruhl) and gets a steady earful of advice from pal Jean (practical, direct and empathic KC Karen Hill). She has one other close acquaintance, Stevie (Aaron Kirby in a charmingly earnest turn), whose late mother was part of this Southie circle. They’re all bingo buddies, which raises some question about whether Stevie is gay? Nah, he says. He just enjoys bingo."

ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended

"...Good People is a funny, honest and vividly naturalistic slice-of-life comic drama that intelligently defines the nature of just what a 'good person' actually is. Smartly, playwright David Lindsay-Abaire presents the complex, contradictorily nature of human behavior that has the key characters struggling with the affects of all their life decisions. Jaqueline Grandt and Mark Pracht anchor a fine cast with their honest performances. Kathleen Ruhl nails her comic bits nicely while Aaron Kirby is the real mensch of this play. Redtwist once again proves that intimate storefront theatre adds honesty through intimate storytelling. Good People is good, real good theatre! Don't miss this show."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...The action by the way is as “good as it gets”. The story is about Margie (with a hard “G” sound) a sort of South Boston sound. Margie (an incredible performance by Jaqueline Grandt, who constantly captivates me with her work) is a down on her luck single parent, with a daughter (who we never see) who has some major problems. While Margie is a survivor, despite all of the obstacles life presents her, she struggles through, one day at a time."