Shaw Vs Chesterton: The Debate Reviews
Chicago Reader- Somewhat Recommended
"...Larry McCauley and Brad Armacost are vivid and engaging as Shaw and Chesterton, respectively, but they've been handed blunt interpretations of subtle arguments to work with. A pandering final "lightening round" on contemporary subjects like gun control devolves into a celebrity soundboard for literary quotes."
Time Out Chicago- Recommended
"...By keeping the two men’s friendship central, Gregory prevents his script from getting too heady. There’s a sense of familiarity between the actors, the ease with which they argue suggesting this is just the most recent in a long tradition of such exchanges."
Stage and Cinema- Recommended
"... The play unfolds with alternate episodes of onstage argument and back stage personal exchange. This provides a pleasant balance between the word craft that made these men famous and the friendship that they cultivated despite their differences. While the script lags at intervals, the actors shine with infectious delight. McCauley’s Shaw delivers oratory that is luscious and comic with a bouquet of gentle barbs, while Armacost presents Chesterton’s more conservative beliefs with joyful conviction. While occasionally languid, the evening provides a reassuring document of the possibility of disagreement with mutual respect, of conflict without acrimony."
ChicagoCritic- Recommended
"...Chesterton was a Catholic, a distributist, a moralist, traditionalist, wine drinker, meat eater, who loved marriage, puppet shows while Shaw as an atheist, socialist, eugenicist, progressive, non-drinker, anti-marriage, vegetarian who loved black comedy. Both were prolific writers and social commentators. Larry McCauley and Brad Armacost used their verbal and acting dexterity to most effectively present their arguments of the two heavyweights in a free-wheeling, ideas dense, debate. This is a smart, engaging exercise of how two people with divergent views can both be friends as well as competitive rivals each seeking the minds of the British public. This is a comic drama that unfolds as a social debate and an ode to friendship. McCauley and Armacost are terrific here. Seeing two strong actors at the top of their art is something special to behold. This show is worth seeing."