The Cheats at Steep Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...If you're interested in new work and support this theater, you might find some stuff here of interest. Linklater has writing talent. The play isn't dull, and a few of Akin's later scenes have a startling and impressive undercurrent of anger and pain. And both Thulin and Moore play married very well. But in this first production, anyway, "The Cheats" does not fully live up to its sexy title. Time is wasted. Wicks remain yet unlit. Cheaters, and cheatees, stay strangely circumspect."

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...Linklater's occasional gestures toward Pinteresque opacity tend to backfire in Joanie Schultz's naturalistic production, expository irrelevancies yielding mystification rather than mystery. But The Cheats is squirmingly astute overall-a commonplace sort of tragedy."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...The playwright's view of getting involved in neighbors' business remains a bit obscured; Jonathan comes across the street looking for someone to talk to, but ultimately begrudges his neighbors' interest as prurient. As a sharply structured, self-contained domestic puzzle box, though, The Cheats remains faithful."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...Director Joanie Schultz has paced this production to a lean ninety minutes, but is careful to steadily ratchet up the tension. A notable feature of The Cheats is its foregrounding of voyeurism; characters often are onstage in a room alone, allowing us to observe them in their most private moments, or call to each other from offstage, making us feel like we are really peering into a house that was not constructed for our benefit. It creates a creepy atmosphere, making the characters' feelings of guilt and violation all the more palpable, and infusing dread into conversations which, in themselves, are strange, but not clearly leading to violence or anything else destructive. Like in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, the interactions among these characters are agonizing and frequently infuriating to watch, but the curious difference is that they are not, for the most part, malicious. Yet destructive they are. Together, Linklater and Steep have developed a talent creating lingering moods, which here, they use to disturbing effect."

The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended

"...This show is all about being genuine in connecting with others. Linklater pens a story that has rich depth to its simplicity. I absolutely loved THE CHEATS! When the house went dark, I was stunned that it was already over. It zipped past! I found myself wanting to hang out more with the wacky Akins, his wife (played by Julia Siple) and their dog Bear."