Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...the show contains a knockout performance from Cartwright, clearly a formidable young talent, whose intensity does manage to hold many things together, and keeps you caring about the visual chaos before you. It really is a killer piece of acting, so to speak, and I can only imagine how interesting it will be once the script is fixed and the production rises up to meet her palpable humanity."
Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...In addition, director Shade Murray has assembled a gifted cast that deftly finesses aspects of puppetry, clowning, farce, dance and music, and, best of all, introduces audiences to the exceptionally beguiling talent of a young actress named Sarah Cartwright. (Remember that name.)"
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...Kara Silverman has set her play in 18th-century London, where Pietro (Adrian Danzig), an immigrant puppeteer, must flee the swinging cudgel of a towering constable (the delightful Will Casey) just to eke out daily bread for himself and his sidekick, the urchin Charlotte. Sarah Cartwright is spot-on in the role, sweeping her hair out of her eyes with just the right finger, cocking her shoulders at somehow the perfect Hogarthian angle to hump a too-big bag. Izumi Inaba's costumes and Jesse Mooney-Bullock's puppet bodies and masks are finely imagined; Shade Murray directed, and Kevin O'Donnell is behind the sound design and music."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"....Director Shade Murray's nine-actor ensemble gallops apace with the speed and stamina of greyhounds for the two hours of the play's duration, led by former 500 Clown Adrian Danzig, whose portrayal of the volatile Pietro deftly conveys the dual nature of the artist, himself, and as he is revealed through his creations, the latter brought to life by the always-appealing House players. The spotlight, however, goes to newcomer Sarah Cartwright, whose delicately focused performance ensures that we share in every step of Charlotte/Charley's discoveries on the path to "the way to do it.""
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...Puppetry can be downright magical. It's not simply the animation of mundane materials, though that's nothing to sniff at-a gifted puppeteer can make even the simplest of puppets come to thrilling life. Much of the beauty of puppetry lives in the constant reminder that, suspended though our disbelief may be, there's something behind the curtain pulling the strings. We can almost completely forget that someone's in charge, but always in the corner of one's mind is the knowledge that a mastermind is hidden, keeping everything together so that we can let go."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...I was engrossed and enchanted with the wack world of puppets in 18th Century England. The stage craft and the skilled manic action marked by numerous costume and set changes was a marvel as the pace was breathtaking. While the action wore thin as the show runs about 15 minutes too long, I was pleased and entertained by the skill of this production. This show is for teens and adults, it is a tad too dark for children. But, as an adult puppet show, A Comedical Tragedy For Mister Punch is a sophisticated theatrical work that delivers."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...While this original play, staged with as much focus and historical accuracy as possible by Shade Murray, impresses with its visuals and energy, there’s a point at which it leaves the audience in the dark. Applause to a tireless Sarah Cartwright, who seldom leaves the stage, playing a convincing street kid with spunk, determination and valor. Diction and a few mumbled lines, combined with a slightly confusing storyline, prevent theatergoers from fully understanding the play. However, Ms. Cartwright is always reliable and comes shining through. In the end, impressively creative costumes, by Izumi Inaba, and beautifully detailed puppets and masks, by Jesse Mooney-Bullock, make this productions a virtuosic visual treat."
Buzznews.net - Recommended
"...The House Theatre of Chicago is now presenting their newest original work, A Comedical Tragedy for Mister Punch, a show which explores a fictionalized origin for England's popular family annihilating marionette, and the minds of the people who came up with him. Featuring the best products of The House's beloved design team, Mister Punch is a technical marvel, though the script by Kara Davidson is slow to start."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...From the moment you approach the Chopin theater and and its colorful, eye-catching "Mister Punch" marquee to the ornate illustration that comprises the show poster and program, you have to be wowed by House Theater's commitment to bringing us a Victorian-era evening of entertainment and is ability to execute such a clear, high-minded vision. It's also an inclusive vision: House even gives us the opportunity to cut out our own finger puppets and join in the festivities. (In "Punch and Judy" shows of yore, audience members would cheer or boo the characters, or warn them of impending danger.)"
NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Director Shade Murray keeps things moving at a solid clip during the first act and puts Lee Keenan's jungle gym set to good use, vaulting his players up, down and all around the fictional London setting. After a flurry of visual and verbal gags, "Mister Punch" takes a horrifying turn as the creations of puppet master Pietro (Adrian Danzig) come to life in the imagination of his young apprentice (Sarah Cartwright), the essential orphan upon which any good tale of nineteenth century urban redemption is based."
