Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...Co-directed by J. Nicole Brooks and Krissy Vanderwarker, "Thaddeus and Slocum" is stocked with some notable performances, including Travis Turner (recently seen in "The Flick") and Samuel Taylor as the titular vaudevillians, two guys trying to protect and also best each other, and, in so doing, embodying the blend of cooperation and competition that always has been a part of the business of live entertainment. Monica Raymund, who plays Isabella and is best known for her work on "Chicago Fire," reveals formidable stage chops and a fabulous singing voice, hitherto unknown to me, anyway; it is, say the least, a dazzling Chicago theater debut, albeit in a smaller role. And there are a bevy of other skilled supporting turns."
Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...If you detect some hesitation about the overall production, you are correct. Turner and Taylor have a solid rapport, with the highlight of the show their superb performance of a tabletop acrobatic act that is immense fun to watch, and possesses Lookingglass' trademark physical theater prowess. But Douglas' script is uneven, as is the show's co-direction by J. Nicole Brooks and Krissy Vanderwarker. And the piece never quite matches the emotional heat of say, the Ruffians' "Burning Bluebeard," another Chicago theater history drama, which conjured the 1903 Iroquois Theatre fire so brilliantly."
Daily Herald - Recommended
"...Written by Kevin Douglas, with ragtime-inspired tunes by composer Rick Sims, "Thaddeus and Slocum" tells the story of a song-and-dance duo struggling to make it in 1908 Chicago. Thaddeus (the endlessly charming Travis Turner), an African-American, is the duo's creative force. Promoting the act falls to the impetuous Slocum (Samuel Taylor, discreet and complex), the duo's Caucasian half."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...All the same, the evening made me excited about the old days of theater, and Lookingglass's cabaret setup transformed the space into something out of the past. It's immensely satisfying to see a glamorous chanteuse go onstage in a gorgeous gown simply to deliver a song free of gimmicks. And there's an important story at the heart of Thaddeus and Slocum-it just can't stick the landing."
Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...When intermission comes there is no tension to bring you back to the show. The drama all comes in the second act and it's too late. You can argue that racism is the villain here and that's quite a villain but again it's not presented in an urgent way. We hear some dialogue about the threats of racism, what will happen if the act is exposed or what will happen if Isabella's identity is exposed or her relationship is revealed, etc., but nothing seems very threatening here. I think Kevin Douglas ( Playwright ) is on to something but his play needs a little shuffling around, plot-wise."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...The talented Thaddeus (Travis Turner) and Slocum (Samuel Taylor) are frustrated by the rules of the game, in which the prestigious white theaters limit themselves to one "Negro" act per bill, until Slocum—the less dedicated but fortuitously Caucasian half of the act—comes up with the bright idea that they should both perform in burnt-cork blackface, pulling one over on the white bookers."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...Living up to its title billing, Lookingglass Theatre Company's world premiere Thaddeus and Slocum: A Vaudeville Adventure is a rampage down Memory Lane. Their 135-minute blast from the past evokes the glory days of broad burlesque and novelty acts, as well as literally darker doings. A guilty pleasure and an ambivalent delight, it celebrates and subverts Chicago's music-hall era. Kevin Douglas's two-act drama is, regrettably, more premise than delivery, but like George C. Wolfe's similarly-themed The Colored Museum, it effectively indicts a still-shameful theatrical double standard."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Thaddeus and Slocum: A Vaudeville Adventure’s writer, Kevin Douglas, and directors, J. Nicole Brooks and Krissy Vanderwarker, are believers in the Ghanian concept of sankofa, the idea that people have to return to the past to move forward. In a world-premiere drama featuring a plethora of signature Lookingglass acrobatics and early twentieth century vaudeville acts, Douglas and the cast explore the psychological impact of blackface on the white and black performers who used it, the politics of access, and the way racial disparity can taint even the closest relationships."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...But the ending does a disservice to Turner's performance. His motivations completely drop away and are replaced by a surreal movement piece and an incredibly abrupt final scene. The first act of this play is so tightly composed and flows so well from scene to performance and back that when act two fails to maintain that momentum and drive, it's a bit disappointing. But I'm not going to let the faulty ending ruin what is a true showcase of talent here in Chicago. This show is beautifully composed, directed, and performed, and manages to tackle some difficult racial issues in a comedic way that doesn't belittle them."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"..."Thaddeus and Slocum: A Vaudeville Adventure" is a certified hit in my book! Although the new production at Lookingglass might seem light and frivolous at first glance, it actually deals with some serious and provocative topics. "Thaddeus and Slocum" is a show that makes classification difficult. It has music, but it's not a musical; slapstick humor, but it's not a comedy. At any rate, it is an insightful and thoroughly delightful glimpse at vaudeville in 1908. There are lots of Chicago specific references, even a scene where happy fans cheer because the Cubs won the World Series."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...This is a fascinating historical play with music, not quite as acrobatic as their "Lookingglass Alice," nor as poetic as "Moby Dick" (which will receive a remount later this season). Yet it entertains with its versatility, as well as its look at an era when racial prejudice was at the forefront of the entertainment industry. This show could be a prequel to Broadway's terrific new musical, "Shuffle Along," while it also serves to shed some light on a little-known chapter of Chicago history that needs to be experienced. The characters may be fictional, but the story is authentic. It's all there in black and white."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Somewhat Recommended
"...The truth is, the totality of Thaddeus and Slocum just left me wanting. Wanting what and why? I can’t say for sure. Perhaps because the first act drags a bit, with too much Vaudeville getting in the way of necessary elements of plot connection, it was hard for me to embrace the while. If that’s the reason, perhaps the piece would be better presented honed to a 90-minute/no intermission show."
Third Coast Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...Sadly, they aren’t resolved. By curtain call, the relationships that we have watched develop over the past two hours are largely forgotten or left up in the air. Even a beautifully choreographed moment, lit hauntingly by multiple “ghost lights” throughout the audience, can’t do much to wash the taste out of your mouth. While it is possible to infer how Thaddeus and Slocum’s friendship panned out, the lack of closure stings, considering that we’ve witnessed their kinship border on brotherly love as they desperately attempt to break into the vaudeville circuit. Thaddeus and Isabella’s storyline is also unresolved, bringing the considerable focus spent on it into question. The ending, ultimately, is rushed and unsatisfying, undermining an otherwise enjoyable piece of theater with something important to say."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"..."Thaddeus and Slocum" is the kind of theater that artists and audiences alike come to Lookingglass for. It is a big work that grapples with big ideas. Here you find Lookingglass' signature blending of mediums (music, dance, clowning, acrobatics) at the service of the story and not the other way around. And so a small slide from just stage left to directly center takes on symbolic resonance in a work that is primarily concerned with the fluidity of identity, who we are from moment to moment within the context of art, love and solitude."
