Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...I would not say director Josh Sobel's aptly simple production, which uses several Strawdog ensemble members, is perfectly cast, and the truths are not mined with as much profundity as the script allows (it could be a very deep shaft indeed). But this is still a very touching and quite wise little show that has lived in the front of my head for the past few days."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Here, the wagon is a 1950s-vintage Rambler, and the family it carries is headed for a defining trauma, with philandering Dad at the wheel, embittered Mom beside him, and three deeply uneasy kids in the backseat. Chamber-theater-style storytelling and bunraku-inspired puppets contribute to the comic, tragic, honest beauty of this unorthodox yuletide tale, sensitively rendered in Josh Sobel's staging for Strawdog Theatre. Don't see it with the kids unless you're prepared for a serious discussion on the ride home."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Like any road trip, the pacing here can feel a little slow, especially given the non-linear form of the narrative. The puppet show eventually takes a back seat to a series of monologues from each of the children as adults, and that transition dissipates a good deal of the play's momentum. But ultimately, the show picks up speed again and finds its way home."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...It's a lot of baggage to unpack in an 85-minute one-act, and it's much less amusing than many in the opening night audience desired. (This is not Jean Shepherd.) But there's no doubting the sincerity of six sterling performances. You won't warm your hands by this fire but its cold consolations may atone for a lot of phony holiday cheer."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...During her brief appearance, Gitenstein establishes that Rebecca would always be the noisiest and most combative of the siblings. All three actors are quite impressive in how they can convey the same characters in two totally different styles. Though dark, the play is not all doom-and-gloom, but Vogel's message is that there is beauty in harsh things which can only be appreciated at a distance. By using the magic of the stage, Vogel and Sobel created a world in which that's true. If you're willing to go along with their vision, The Long Christmas Ride Home will bring you to the peaceful conclusion of a stormy holiday."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...So much of the winter holidays consist of happy-go-lucky, forced cheer. Every other commercial seems to feature some idiotically happy family seeking respite from the mayhem of holiday shopping; how families can be so happy during this time of year blows my mind. Fortunately, not everything you can see has to be so cheery. Enter Paula Vogel. The Long Christmas Ride Home offers instead a rather depressing picture of a broken family during the holidays."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...But it’s Sam Hubbard as Stephen, played with vigor, love and honesty, whose thoughts really comprise this play. Alone and hurting, comforted only by his childhood memories of family, Stephen similarly bears the pain of a relationship gone sour, while suffering from a disease that will eventually take his young life. This play is Stephen’s story and Mr. Hubbard capably serves as our tour guide, transporting his audience gently through time and space on an emotional journey back home."
The Fourth Walsh - Somewhat Recommended
"...THE LONG CHRISTMAS RIDE HOME is an interesting road trip with dark humor and relational angst. It is an alternative option from the influx of holiday theatre offerings."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...Dickens immortally reminded us of our mortality in a ghost story when he said that Christmas is the time when we see all people as fellow passengers to the grave. The Long Christmas Ride Home similarly makes us aware of the multiple journeys with one destination, the importance of the landmarks, of moving on, of pulling back from the precipice, and of the people with whom we find ourselves huddled against the cold."