The Illusion at RBP Rorschack

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...Joseph Ramski as the philandering son and Stevie Chaddock as his impulsive idealistic paramour find emotionally rich shifts in the power dynamics in their troubled pairing, with Elizabeth Bagby's heartsick-and-scheming maid and Jared McDaris' pompous pirate/plot device scoring the biggest laughs. But there are very few false notes in this imaginative and loving valentine to the power of love and storytelling. Robbel's staging, like the best chamber magicians, proves that effective sleight-of-hand doesn't need big-budget effects."

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...haracters who one by one get dragged through the dirt of reality. Right Brain Project's intimate space sets an aptly foreboding tone, and the show’s magic routines shine, but ultimately director Nathan Robbel doesn't trust the play’s inner workings to carry it. There's a thin line between stock characters and overplayed caricatures, and on this point, several actors misstep, with Stevie Chaddock a notable exception. Stephen Gawrit's faint, maddening music scores the production's every moment, threatening to spoil the unfolding illusions."

Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended

"...Tony Kushner’s modern twist on an old classic offers aspects of love and hatred, poetic language and anachronistic period costumes (cunningly conceived by Megan Merrill), magic tricks and swordplay, in a delightful tale of love and intrigue. Lighter than most of Kushner’s plays, this production offers an intoxicating Spring evening of 17th century language mixed with 21st century sensibilities. There’s something for every taste here. But be warned that a clear head and an attentive eye and ear are needed in order to fully enjoy this comic melodrama, in which a great love begins with a great story…or possibly two, or maybe three, or even perhaps..."

The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended

"...THE ILLUSION is clever. I got caught up into all of them and the ultimate one. There are plenty of yarns spinning until Goodson nonchalantly pulls all the strings tightly together in a captivating conclusion. To succumb completely to THE ILLUSION, going into it in the dark is key to becoming spellbound."