Romulus at Oracle Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...One of the more fascinating elements of this story — what elevates Romulus from a mere ditherer to someone with a bit more of a tragic sheen — is the question of just what his intentions have been from the beginning. Cox is an actor who can't help but radiate intelligence even in the most ridiculous circumstances (and Vidal provides plenty of those), and he conveys that shadow self in Romulus beautifully."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Here the antiquated court of Romulus, last emperor of Rome, are literally turning into statues, declaiming their lines while striking empty heroic poses. Meanwhile a seemingly indifferent Romulus tends his chickens while his empire collapses. The approach amplifies Dürrenmatt's satire but compromises the more serious sections during the play's second half. Luckily the climactic confrontation between Romulus and the invading Goths delivers enough delicious irony to carry the day."

Stage and Cinema - Recommended

"...The author called this toga-party caprice "an historical play with no historical basis." It certainly plays fast and loose with facts and legends. You can see why Vidal was drawn to its political pronouncement of a "plague on both their houses." Ultimately it's a daffy parable, a cautionary trifle, and a stylized romp (not unlike the travesty "Springtime for Hitler" inside The Producers). The deft ten-member ensemble fills Oracle's crowded stage with well-crafted caricatures of corruption in action. Inevitably, these mirrors reflect our own embattled empire."

ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended

"...It is a credit to all involved that they can bring out the emotional and ideological complexity in a goofy, absurd work. Costume designer Eli Hunstad has clad the characters in sheets and sandals with treads on the bottom, but the statue make-up and the deliberate anachronisms work with these budgetary necessities to create a coherent world. Of course it's silly that the Goths would select "Progress and Slavery" as their slogan or feel the need to concoct "Gothicism" as a justification for conquest, but in the world of the play, modern ideas pervade. Oracle asks "if the empire collapses, will the new empire be any better?" I'm not convinced the analogy they draw between American and Western Rome is apt, but I do think we're undergoing a time of transition (as always). It's interesting to think about what happens to people in a movement when it needs to be abandoned. Will they recognize when that time comes, and can they trust the new order to treat them fairly?"

The Fourth Walsh - Recommended

"...Under the direction of Kasey Foster, Kevin Cox (Romulus) commands the stage as the chicken feeding leader. Within the colorful buffoonery of his subjects, Cox plays it hilariously even keel. Cox’s resignation to being conquered is delivered with bitter dignity. Despite his seemingly ineffectual leadership, Cox subtly and effectively maneuvers his way through sidebar dealings."