The December Man Reviews
Chicago Tribune- Recommended
"...Benoit slowly shifts his drinking from beer to harder stuff, and Kathleen eventually becomes nearly agoraphobic, her Catholic faith insufficient to shield her from fear and loss. The tension and steady accretion of resentments between the parents is played with subtle modulations by Speller and Harris, despite some moments in the script that feel a bit laboriously symbolic. Despite some darkly comic interactions, the sense of overwhelming sorrow and psychological stasis lingers after the lights come up."
Chicago Reader- Somewhat Recommended
"...Kathleen and Benoit, who can't live without their son. Barbara Roeder Harris and Mike Speller turn in strong performances as Kathleen and Benoit, but the play itself drags on and isn't nearly as moving as it seems intended to be."
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
"...Under Patrick New's direction, Murphy's concisely written parable is rendered appropriately grim through the subtle nuances bestowed by Mike Speller, Rudy Galvin and Barbara Roeder Harris on dialogue as stark and commonplace as the Fournier's drab home decor. These make their lesson no less gloomy, but helps us to emerge wiser for having witnessed it."
Stage and Cinema- Recommended
"...There’s nothing remarkable about these working-class, everyday Fourniers, haunted by a heroism that could never happen. But, as Murphy grimly shows us, their fates are as extreme as those of the lost ladies killed in class. What ensues–I have to stop here–feels as believable as it’s not inevitable. It’s a terrible waste and that’s judgement enough. This utterly unpretentious cautionary tale will be hemlock to optimists. For others the sheer ordinariness of the small and big talk and the humdrum domestic doings will be a turn-off. But, considering the context, this play is absolutely true to its tale."
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
"...The December Man is a riveting, suspenseful drama on courage, survival, heroism and despair. Survival guilt’s effects all it touches and it is vividly and honestly presented here. This work is a theatrical gem featuring a tight script, wonderfully effective direction and three truthfully powerful performances. This is yet another production that showcases the vibrancy of Chicago storefront theatre."
Chicago Theatre Review- Recommended
"...This is not a play, designed to entertain; it’s a drama that effectively explores how tragedy affects all the survivors. In a production that’s frank, chilling and filled with the ghosts of the helpless, we have a psychological examination of the horror that seems to be part of our everyday world. The almost constant occurrences involving gun violence, fueled by those disturbed, angry individuals who can’t find any other way to calm the demons inside them, is portrayed here with unflinching realism. This is a play that will torment and terrify playgoers, but it will make them empathize and think. It’s, unfortunately, a ghost story for today’s world."