The Shadow Of A Gunman Reviews
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
"...Mossman and a strong cast vividly evoke the queasy terror of life on the receiving end of counter-insurgency--Did the ex-roommate leave behind a hidden cache of bombs? Is the downstairs neighbor a rat? Is the hyped-up soldier who just kicked in your door going to shoot you?--while skillfully navigating act two's hairpin turns."
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
"...Director John Mossman refuses to abet such illusion. Oh, his first act is replete with the slamming doors and offstage uproar associated with broadly drawn personalities, but each actor in this Seanachaí production has scrutinized O'Casey's text in surgical detail to convey the often-unpleasant complexities behind the initial jollity. Nor do they gloss over the injustice of foreign troops bullying innocents forced to become martyrs. The results leave us shaken and outraged, contemplating the contradictions of civil disorder in a fickle universe."
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
"... It’s in the second act that O’Casey’s play gains force, moving toward the painful climax, where Donal’s opportunistic dissembling links directly to the play’s tragedy. John Mossman’s staging captures the abrupt shift, and Stephen Carmody’s vivid set design lets us know just where we are, literally and figuratively: there is a crucifix on the wall but there are no heroes in this passion play."
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
"... Sean O’Casey is in good hands under the spirited direction of John Mossman and theterrific ensemble acting (each in rich authentic Irish brogues)from the dedicated cast. Thequirkiness and the submerged fear storms to the surface in thisoften-times funny – yetsad taleoflife and oppression in Dublin during ‘The Troubles” of 1920-23. ShawnKenyon and Jeff Christian anchor a quality cast dedicated and respectful totheworks ofa great Irish playwright.Thisis a terrific production."
Chicago Theater Beat- Recommended
"... Director John Mossman stages the comings and goings of an eleven member cast within a small bedroom. Set Designer Stephen H. Carmody has built out a dingy one room flat. Carmody includes filthy windows draped in dirty remnants to add a layer of intrigue. Street noises and lights from beyond the windows bring an element of danger into the room. Mossman directs the action with a natural pace. The first act has characters interrupting conversations. The second act accelerates into pandemonium. These directorial choices make The Shadow of a Gunman feel like a genuine reenactment of a moment in history. ( just don’t sit in the shadow of the fan.)"