Successors at Signal Ensemble Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"... Steinhagen has a real sense of history (and affection) for the small details that define the family business. The mayor still lives in a modest bungalow in the old neighborhood. His nephew is on the payroll. His three adult offspring all hold various city posts. It's not one big happy clan, though. Resentments are stewing and about to boil over."

Chicago Sun Times - Recommended

"...Any resemblance to the Daley dynasty of Chicago is no doubt entirely intentional in "Successors," Jon Steinhagen's laugh-out-loud satire (and comedy of bad manners) about politics, family and warped ambition, now receiving a zesty world premiere by the Signal Ensemble Theatre."

Chicago Reader - Not Recommended

"...A lot of Steinhagen's humor is reminiscent of All in the Family, with bigoted, blue-collar blowhard Uncle Lou insulting a variety of caricatured Chicago types. It's appalling. Worse, it's unfunny and oddly anachronistic."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...With 12 exquisitely cast actors, six of whom are Signal ensemble members, Successors is a hilarious look at how politics can rip a family apart. During the first half, the tension in the tight backyard space steadily builds as each of the three DeKoven siblings makes a case for why he or she should receive the endorsement. There’s a finely tuned balance of petty sibling rivalry and inflated sense of entitlement among Colby Sellers, Anne Sheridan Smith and Bries Vannon that justifies their father’s reluctance to support his children."

ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended

"...This is a tightly rich comic fable with enduring characters that will easily grab you and keep you laughing throughout. It is an old fashion Neil Simon-like comedy. Successors once again proves why Signal Ensemble Theatre is a Chicago treasure. They simply do excellent theatre and they have the chutzpah to do original works like Successors. See this funny show to rediscover smartly crafted comic theatre."