Rhymes With Evil
InFusion Theatre Company at Storefront Theater

Time Out Chicago- Somewhat Recommended

"...The actors do their best with Traeger’s overwritten, clunky exposition and his meandering sidebars that go nowhere; in one scene, much is made of Lathan’s use of male pronouns to refer to Sara, but it’s never explained or mentioned again. Golob’s production is handsome enough; Keith Pitts’s set, with its walls lined with creepy dolls and Meredith Miller’s custom puppets, sets the title’s promised mood. But Traeger’s play is really 20 minutes of spooky following two hours of bad melodrama."
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Kris Vire

Chicago Reader- Somewhat Recommended

"...Reacting to the apparently imminent dissolution of his marriage, Lathan has isolated Jenny and himself in a rambling country house populated by a "family" of bizarre, handmade puppets and toys. Meanwhile, Lathan's wife, Sara, wrestles with whether or not to divorce him. Problem is, Lathan is so obviously unhinged that it's hard to fathom her indecisiveness, and the decisions she does make further undermine the tale's credibility. But in Mitch Golob's visually fascinating staging, designers Meredith Miller (puppets), Keith Pitts (set), Charles Cooper (lights), Dawn Myrie (props), and Amy Gabbert (costumes) create an environment that shifts fluidly between reality and the eerie world of Lathan's imagination."
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Albert Williams

NewCity Chicago- Not Recommended

"...It’s honestly hard to imagine why this production was made; the story and dialogue are not only trite and psychologically shallow, but the moments for comic relief fall just as flat. Acting is valiant, but the characters are one-dimensional to the point of parody, and one wishes the show had just gone all the way and called itself a farce. The running time (which was supposed to be 1:45 but ran for over 2 hours and 15 minute when I saw it) begins to explain the molasses pacing."
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Monica Westin

Centerstage- Recommended

"...While the pace frequently lags under the weight of overwrought dialogue, and many of the show's eerier elements rest on tired clichés (the lifeless old woman in the rocking chair, glassy-eyed puppets, a gender-shifting man), Traeger possesses a unique ability to slip through the cracks of one's conscious mind, taking up residence among our deeper, hidden fears. A play cannot be called a failure when, days after attending, one pauses on the threshold of darkened rooms, haunted by the image of a fractured father, at the top of a narrow staircase, poised and ready to pounce."
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Sarah Terez Rosenblum

Chicago Stage Review- Not Recommended

"...The end of the play tumbles into manufactured chaos. There’s a shooting with no blood. (I’m sorry but if the victim doesn’t go down for good after being shot then there needs to be evidence of an entry wound or AT LEAST the leg that is being favored need to stay the same.) And then we suffer through glimpses of every possible outcome in one of the most dragged out, cant-make-up-your-mind endings I have ever seen. We watch every draft of the ending played out to prolonged and excruciating effect."
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Venus Zarris

Steadstyle Chicago- Recommended

"...Infusion Theatre Company, one of Chicago's more creative troupes, attempts to bring us new plays that they can incorporate with other elements of entertainment (music, dance, film and puppetry). In their current production "Rhymes With Evil," it is puppetry that is utilized in a marvelous suspense story. Written by Chicago area writer Charles R. Traeger, this is a story that will have you glued to your seats as it unfolds. The story is about a stay at home dad who was fired from his teaching job, forcing his wife to become the bread winner."
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Al Bresloff