Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...There’s lots to admire here. For longtime observers of Lookingglass, this show evidences change. I was struck how Stillman pulls off this adaptation without a narrator. No one spits out narrative directly to the audience—which would have made a work of this complexity much easier to stage."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...In "The Brothers Karamazov" -- director Heidi Stillman's spare, sinewy Lookingglass Theatre stage adaptation of the great 19th century Russian novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky -- two early sound cues signal the major themes of the story. From within a shabby house come screams suggesting a drunken brawl or some sort of bloody domestic violence. They are quickly followed by the redemptive beauty and calm of church chimes."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...Starkly poetic, mordantly funny, occasionally overblown but often beguiling, the Lookingglass Theatre staging of The Brothers Karamazov balances 19th-century sentimentality with Russian nihilism, hitting the highlights of the book (as translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky) without attempting to cram in too much detail. Some significant characters have been excised, but those who haven’t read the original—or haven’t read it in years, like me—probably won’t miss them."
Examiner - Recommended
"...Director and adaptor Heidi Stillman doesn’t capture the entirety of Dostoevsky’s massive novel; there are missing characters and subplots. But she and her 15-person ensemble – a cast defined by both extraordinary individual performances and a unified, unwavering sense of overall purpose – capture Dostoevsky’s essence."
Chicago Free Press - Somewhat Recommended
"...Dostoevsky’s pen must have been on fire as he wrote. But you sense no urgency in Lookingglass’ its mishmash of rock music and punk styles amid this very tossed-and-turned 19th century Russia. The saddest failure: In a novel that drives home the need for interconnectedness, Stillman’s recreation is maddeningly half-baked."
EpochTimes - Highly Recommended
"...One of the things that I love about The Lookingglass Theatre is that the work they do is uniquely different from other regional theaters. They can take a classic and by work-shopping it with the creative minds that these ensemble members have, they recreate these works into something that we, as audience members, will treasure as a theatrical experience, unlike the others we have or will experience in our lifetimes. Their current production is a new adaptation of the novel " The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoevsky, by Heidi Stillman, who also has brilliantly directed this production utilizing their "Theater without a net" concept of stagecraft. Their work is best described as "brilliant" and completely flawless."
Copley News Service - Highly Recommended
"...The large ensemble generally does well, many of the performers doubling in supplementary roles. The cast includes performances by five children, all getting through their roles gamely when they are not unintelligible or inaudible, a common malady among youthful actors."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...Stillman does an admirable job distilling the plot of the novel (murder, sex, family intrigue), but I was especially glad that she chose to include the more philosophical parts of the book, too—particularly ingenious is the staging of the Grand Inquisitor scene, a parable that Ivan relates to Alyosha that imagines the catastrophe that befalls Christ when he chooses to return to earth during the heart of the Inquisition in Medieval Spain."
Edge - Recommended
"...I realize that to say that to get the most out of this show, one ought, at least, let one’s fingers do a little Googling is to scare off some potential ticket buyers. But I do know that if you are ready for it, this production won’t disappoint."
Chicago Stage Review - Highly Recommended
"...From the remarkable opening music and images, that do more to set the tone and convey the dysfunctional Karamazov family history than any spoken narrative, to the redemptive closing which leaves us with the profound notion of human endurance, The Brothers Karamazov is a spellbinding production illustrating theatrical storytelling at its finest. This compelling adaptation of Dostoevsky’s masterpiece is dramatically epic in scale and laden with eccentric characters that draw us in to their complex emotional melodrama."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Lookingglass’s visually rich, long-attention-span treatment (the show runs three and a half hours) fails to connect with either the metaphysical passion or pulpy thrill, leading to something that’s sketchy despite its sprawl, blustery yet a little disengaged."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Once again, Lookingglass goes the distance with fascinating stage sets, including a revolving room for the Karamazov house, a floor which opens to reveal a grave, an illuminating light shining through the window of a monastery, and memorable scenes, such as the one which introduces Katerina, as Dmitri describes meeting her at a waltz. Kudos to Dan Ostling for Scenic Design and Mara Blumenfeld for costumes."
