Stanley In The Name Of Love Reviews
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
"...It's ridiculous, at least by Charles Ludlam's standards. By the end of 80 explosive, spritely, hormonally hypercharged minutes, Kelly and company achieve Ludlam's goal of "illustrating hedonistic calculus," persuasively and giddily showing that vulgarity, shlock, and love share almost everything in common. The angsty ballet finale is overcooked, but most everything else is bracingly, thrillingly, unapologetically raw."
ChicagoCritic- Recommended
"...Stanly in the Name of Love doesn’t add much new to philosophical musings on the nature of happiness, rather, it re-contextualizes old questions for a different audience. The dilemma, then, is whether the Boystown crowd will be interested in this type of theatre. Well, why not? It doesn’t condescend to them (except playfully), and it’s made by people who see themselves in the characters."
Around The Town Chicago- Somewhat Recommended
"...it is never clear in these scenes whether the plot and dialogue are supposed to be earnest or ridiculous, as extended sub plot this seemed way too serious for the rest of the play (even though it was premised on the world ending), and the dialogue veered between the truly sublime and the excessively high and ridiculous so that it was difficult to tell if the attempt at lyricism was supposed to be sincere or satirical. Peters, in what turned out to be a very credible portrayal of a man tormented by weariness; disappointment; loneliness; and cynicism, seemed like he was struggling between the two in his delivery, never quite sure whether to be ironic or serious. Nonetheless, he is clearly a very talented actor and his character and performance were certainly the most sophisticated. Love's Stanley was effeminate to a degree that I have never seen before, either in real life or on stage, and his performance threatened to get lost in his highly caricatured voice and gestures. However, he was also talented enough to be able to deliver lines with a fair degree of sincerity and emotion, especially during the musical numbers with gorgeous and intensely-felt singing."
Chicago Theatre Review- Recommended
"...The subtitle says it all. This futuristic fantasy is an absurd, but thought-provoking pop musical. While there’s no nudity, it’s highlighted by graphic language, adult situations and plot developments, filled with wild abandon and flavored by a score of infectious techno dance music. All of this is brought to life by a talented cast and a devoted director, truly committed to sharing their story of optimism and dreams coming true within a frightening, nightmarish and unfriendly world."