Fellow Travellers at Second Stage Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...As such, the production, while good, lacks a certain vitality -- much like Max's paintings, in fact. And though director David M. Schmitz has coaxed some very intelligent performances from this cast, he has also set in motion a stylistic oddity that has Karl speaking with an American accent throughout the Berlin scenes, and a German accent in the California scenes."

Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended

"...The play is not quite as subtle and sure-handed as "Burying the Bones." But it is keenly observant of human behavior -- especially our propensity for being blind to what we do not wish to see. And it considers the role that time, place and temperament play in individual fate."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Local playwright Margaret Lewis offers no easy solutions to the thorny ethical dilemmas in her new script, about two German art students in the 1930s struggling in the face of Nazi censorship and persecution. Max is a neoclassical landscape painter inadvertently in accord with Nazi ideals, and so his star is on the rise despite his contempt for Hitler. But to stay on track he must condemn his best friend, Karl, as a "degenerate" radical modernist and thus an enemy of the state. Lewis intercuts this story with scenes of Karl as a successful but paranoid artist in Los Angeles in 1973 trying to maintain an uneasy friendship with his East German housekeeper, whose past is also troubled."

Windy City Times - Recommended

"...Fellow Travellers is that rare evening of theater that transports its audience through deft storytelling; sharp characterization; and crisp, clean direction and production values. Its two hours zip by; the people on stage become real human beings you care about and, while the story’s mysteries are viewable from a mile off, there’s still a great deal of dramatic tension in seeing how they will be revealed and resolved."

Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...A strong supporting cast, including Smith as the younger Karl and Dean as older Karl's new housekeeper, keep things unpredictable. Despite some overworked metaphors, Lewis has crafted a play that sets up shop in our conscience, with plans to stay."