Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Unfortunately, most of the rest of the show too often sounds like an Oprah-like bromide about how Chaz and Roger faced the prejudice of the outside world in regard to their bi-racial marriage. The truth is, by the time they married in 1992 (when Roger, til then a bachelor, was 50, and Chaz was a divorcee with two children), such marriages were no longer unusual. And these were two grown-ups, not Romeo and Juliet adolescents. (The script’s references to gay marriage seem tacked on for topical value.)"
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...Kevin Pollack's portrayal of Roger is on target: stiff and stolid, earnest and self-deprecating. Pollack movingly conveys the boundless, boyish joy that Roger, a longtime bachelor who married at age 50, found in embracing Chaz's world, including a large, close-knit family and the black church, with its rousing musical tradition-infectiously conveyed here in gospel selections ranging from Hezekiah Walker's "I Feel Your Spirit" to the classic hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" to Taylor's original anthem "No Matter What Race." In The Black White Play, the message comes through loud and clear: Chaz and Roger Ebert's love helped each of them face down trials ranging from racism to death itself."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...The results are structured as a "tribute"-less comprehensive than a documentary, but still relying for its narrative on scenes drawn from its subjects' lives. Since neither Ebert sang professionally, the score is based on songs the couple considered milestones in their relationship. Most of these, no surprise, are romantic ballads whose lyrics we may have once dismissed as frivolous suddenly-with the Grim Reaper as sideman-taking on new significance: Peter Cetera's "Baby, Please Don't Go," for example, or Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through The Night." It's not all dirges, however-Chaz' churchgoing clan ensures the inclusion of a few restorative gospel hymns on the list."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...But while Dawan and Pollack provide credible impressions of their subjects, Taylor's script keeps them feeling more like presenters than characters, with the musical track list terrifically performed but uneasily grafted to the story. You can imagine Roger giving it an appreciative but clear-eyed thumbs half-up."
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"...There is enough love story and enough songs to make for a worthy show. It's just that the opportunity to have an in depth story of two remarkable lovers was under utilized. The BlackWhite Love Play does emphasize the love relationship, but needs more story and less songs."
Chicago Theatre Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...This highly anticipated show has been on everyone’s radar since it was announced. Audiences have eagerly looked forward to learning more about Chaz and Roger Ebert and reliving their romance and marriage. This just isn’t that show. Sure, it’s heartfelt and gentle, caring and presentational, but Jackie Taylor’s latest offering is more a memorial tribute than a memorable musical bio-drama."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Recommended
"...Considered as a tribute to a happy relationship, "The Black and White Love Story" is mostly successful. The choreography is generally stilted but it gives the show movement. The speeches about racial equality are preaching to the choir at the BET but their substance cannot be challenged. But if the sentimentality is everywhere in the show, so is the sincerity. And the music, as always at the BET, is triumphant."
