The American Clock at Redtwist Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...Interspersed throughout director Jan Ellen Graves' earnest and full-throated production are period musical numbers, adding the "vaudeville" to the title. The 18-member cast (plus pianist Mark Bowman) mostly commit to the sometimes-obvious dialogue with verve, and the songs provide their own gimlet-eyed paradoxical mix of cynicism and optimism. Life may be just a bowl of cherries, but the people at the bottom are still getting stuck with the pits."

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Nearly lost in Arthur Miller's sprawling anecdotal history of the Depression is the singular figure of Theodore K. Quinn, who resigned as president of GE’s board after one day, contemptuous of the marauding corporatization of America. He'd eventually head the Small Business Administration for a buck-a-year salary. He's worth an entire play, but here he's reduced to an irony-drenched song-and-dance man (crooning "I'm Sitting on Top of the World") and dismissed in one brief scene."

Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended

"...The play is unabashed political theater, and in that sense less a drama than a cautionary polemic. His implication: This could happen again; and when the economic chips are down, it's a few fat cats at the money table while the multitude of mice glean bits on the floor. Miller couldn't be clearer. One perpetually hungry migrant worker observes that a handful of tobacco owners would earn more money than all the tobacco harvesters combined."

ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended

"...The American Clock – A Vaudeville is not one of Miller’s classic plays, it is a worthy glimpse into the heart and psyche of the resilience of the American people during a dark economic times. Director Graves has mounted a well-played ensemble to dramatize and put a face on the victims of the Depression. Be sure to see this seldom performed slice of American history that nicely comes to life on Bryn Mawr Avenue."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended

"...Director Jan Ellen Graves brought all elements of this complex work together with specificity, immediacy and affection for the piece and her talented actors. Instead of feeling cramped in the intimate forty-seat space, the audience was an active participant in the proceedings. With no set to speak of except a few well chosen props, the ensemble had freedom of movement allowing their characters to soar. Pianist Mark Bowman's musical support added all the right touches."

Around The Town Chicago - Recommended

"...The works of Arthur Miller, one of America’s greatest playwrights, are works that every student of the theater should bear witness to. “All My Sons”, Death of a Salesman” and of course, “The Crucible”, but there is one very little-known play, if one can truly call this a “play”, “The American Clock..a Vaudeville”, that most Chicago audiences probably are not even aware of, let alone seen. This is a play that took almost 15 years to go from idea to performance and I can only recall it being done in Chicago once, back in 2005 and by the same company, Redtwist Theatre Company, albeit, in its earlier production, they were named Actors Workshop."