Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...In the process, Dawkins cagily conjures a fascinating portrait of himself, and of America, with all its unsettling mix of dark denial and sweet nostalgia. And he does so with a winning sense of childlike innocence and the wistfully knowing, if not entirely jaded edge of an adult."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Each stage in the family's rebuilding is set against an area of the park-Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, etc, in addition to playing himself, Dawkins deftly steps into the shoes of all the women characters, delicately creating distinct and nuanced personalities enhanced by old photos he shares on an overhead projector. Witty and heartbreaking in equal measure, he crafts vivid, emotionally charged scenes with language that feels both accessible and cinematic."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...So many intriguing threads, coupled with the largely unigender cast of characters—particularly in a culture fond of assigning double names to daughters ( e.g. "Betty Sue" "Mary Lynn" ) that may be amended in adult life—risks inducing vertigo in that same audience as it struggles to remember ages, birth orders, relationships and location. Dawkins strives to assist our orientation amid the welter of abrupt transitions and at least three false endings with a plentiful supply of vintage photographs and identifying voices, but ultimately, a tale more suited to the leisurely configurations of a Ragtime-styled novel or a cycle of interconnected plays like those of August Wilson proves too much to absorb all at once. It's kind of like going to Disneyland."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Dawkins is a charming, engaging presence onstage, with a real skill for bringing the various Akins women to life. (If the show has a "breakout character," it's his aunt Lynn.) Director Jonathan L. Green of Sideshow Theatre Company (which co-produced) keeps things simple, mostly getting out of the way to let Dawkins's script and performance work their magic. If you've been thinking of checking out the Greenhouse Theater Center's Solo Festival, you should visit The Happiest Place on Earth."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...The monologue’s two topics—the not so happiest place on earth and the loss of the patriarch—dovetail nicely in a moving ending. Charmingly directed by Jonathan L. Green, Dawkins updates us on the four women who shaped the show—evolved from bratty bobbysoxers to elderly ladies accommodating to a non-Disney future. Happiness, Dawkins declares with a delight in discovery worthy of a former Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, is not guaranteed, even if you wish upon a star."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Philip Dawkins' The Happiest Place On Earth is a funny, heartfelt and moving show that both entertains and gets us laughing. It gets us to re-think our that our dreams can come true. You'll not see anything like this solo show. It is a winner."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Easily the most accomplished of the solo performances I’ve seen during Greenhouse Theater Center’s festival of one-person shows, The Happiest Place On Earth, written and performed by Philip Dawkins, focuses on the author’s family history, tying it to the history of Disneyland, the titular ‘happy place.’ He explores the way his family’s history has been shaped by the dream and the promise of the Magic Kingdom, but ultimately he is unable to find any real understanding, preferring to remain on the deeply felt but logically shallow surface."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...And second, on emotional honesty, there is a refreshing (and engaging) element of directness to Dawkins' storytelling, one that turns the initial tone of the show on its head. As the play progresses, and as Dawkins further delves into both his family's history and the underlying philosophies of Walt Disney and his magical theme park, "Happiest Place" becomes as much a philosophical pondering on happiness as it does history, and whether or not people can truly be happy amidst all the other constraints and demands of modern adult life; surely, such are themes that have been explored before, but rarely in such an unguarded, honest fashion."
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...Dawkins' knowledge of Disney is impressive. Director Jonathan L. Green keeps the pace nimble. The fast-talking Dawkins quickly gets through the pile of transparencies. He lays out the facts and figures in a familial and entertaining way. And despite building the case of Disney being 'the happiest place on earth,' Dawkins takes a dark turn on the Matterhorn ride of life. He shares his family's relationship woes and health issues. He describes his own unhappiness. The playful analogy between his kin and Disneyland becomes a poignant reflection on happiness or more accurately the lack of happiness. Dawkins makes it personal. His honesty leaves me unexpectedly sad. It has me continually contemplating is our happiness rooted in our past? How wrapped up are we in the last generation's tragedies and successes? And what does Tomorrowland offer me today?"
Third Coast Review - Recommended
"...This is an obvious choice for streaming- the action of the piece is limited to Dawkins using an overhead projector to show pictures of his family and of maps of the park (the quality of the video does make it difficult to make out some slides, but luckily Dawkins always explains what we're looking at). And Dawkins' voice, which evokes the pitch of an antique newscaster, conveys the story with easy charm."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...Dawkins is from the next generation of that family. In the midst of his play, he confides that he hasn't been happy in memory. We sense that this compilation of his family's narrative of loss is Dawkins' very personal WHODUNIT exploration of where his sadness was born."
