Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...It all bubbles along pleasantly enough under Nathan Allen's direction - Tommy Rapley, who plays the Boy, is a performer with his own formidable range of skills, magic and otherwise - but the show doesn't fully work as a device to hold all these tricks together. In this new version, "The Magnificents" has taken a more explicit turn into the realm of narrative storytelling, and once you make such a leap, you then have to build more of a story. At this juncture, it feels like the show hasn't decided if it wants to be a series of tricks connected by a light narrative frame - something like you might see at the Cirque du Soleil - or something that really hangs together in terms of plot and character. To my mind, it needs to take a big step toward the latter: we need to know more about who this Boy might be, we need to better understand the relationship between The Magnificent and his wife (the warm-centered Tien Doman) and, above all, we need something more explicit at stake to drive sufficient dramatic tension. Too much of this show lacks urgency."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Lee Keenan's ingenious set-an infinitely adaptable truck-abets the story's magical realism by allowing Magnificent's troupe to slide fluently between life onstage and life on the road. Watkins doesn't execute his magic as impeccably here as he does in his long-running one-man show, The Magic Parlour, but that doesn't stop him from administering a healthy dose of wonder."
Centerstage - Recommended
"...But what saves the show from being a mere framework around the Watkins magic act is the play’s bold theatricality, keeping in the House style. There is mime, clowning, aerial routines and considerable choreography (done by Rapley). It’s a complete show, no doubt. Even so, it always knows when to back away and simply let Watkins work his, well, his magic. Watch him tell a man’s life story using a deck of cards or pluck a random number out of an audience member’s head in the most endearingly show-offy way possible. You know it’s a trick. There is never any doubt. But Watkins succeeds in convincing us that the fun is in not knowing. And we are more than happy to sit back and enjoy the show."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...As a follow-up to last year’s impressive remount of Dennis Watkins’s early work Death and Harry Houdini, the House revisits Watkins’s equally magic-infused 2007 piece about a small-scale traveling circus that takes in a new ward (Tommy Rapley) over the objections of the sickly magician proprietor (Watkins). The production isn’t much of a play, though maybe it’s not trying to be. As author, Watkins has improved on his earlier iteration; for instance, he makes the magician’s wife (Tien Doman) a full-fledged character rather than the gibberish-talking nag of the original. Yet no one onstage (including Jeff Trainor as a strongman, Lucy Carapetyan as a flirty aerial artist and Michael E. Smith as the company clown) has what you could call a character arc. Still, as a semi-narrative framework for Watkins’s mind-boggling old-school magic tricks, The Magnificents earns its title."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...The sheer energy and exuberance made this device endear the production. Laughs abound with these three zany clowns. They also do some magic tricks.The touching story of an old guard magician slowly dying but refusing to stop doing his act demonstrated Watkins acting skills. the story is heartwarming and engaging. The magic will blow you away!"
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...Playwright Dennis Watkins has penned an ode to his grandfather. First, introduced in 2007, THE MAGNIFICENTS returns renewed and refreshed. And this resurrection is phenomenal! Watkins' story is not only a touching tribute to his past, it's a beautiful sentiment of his present. The idea of a make-your-own-family is powerful. Under the skillful direction of Nathan Allen and the ringmaster magic of Watkins, I laughed, I cried, I wondered. A charming showman, quick-talking Watkins performs his brilliant illusions. There are interactive acts that are just baffling marvels. Everyone in the audience is left with eyes popping, mouth gaping, head scratching. Watkins is indeed a wizard! Allen also uses his special powers to pull a talented ensemble out of a truck. Graceful Lucy Carapetyan (Honeydew/Aerial coach), spunky Tien Doman (Rosie), agile Tommy Rapley (Boy/Choreographer), hilarious Michael E. Smith (Chase), and stalwart Jeff Trainor (Harley) are the spectacular, the one and only, the incredible: *The Magnificents*."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...There are many who say, "theater is magic", and if you see the name Dennis Watkins on the press release or in an ad, you know that you are in for just that, "MAGIC". Watkins is one of the country's true geniuses when it comes to magic, and when The House Theatre of Chicago produces one of his shows ( whether created by him, or just starring him ) the audience is in for a treat.In 2012, audiences thrilled to his "Death and Harry Houdini" ( which will return for those who may have missed it) we are treated to some magic feats again, an din the Chopin Theatre, an intimate space, we are often only 30 feet away from the magic. "The Magnificents" was first staged in 2007 and was created by Watkins as a tribute to his grandfather, Ed Watkins who was his trainer and mentor. This is in a way, his own personal story, one of love and desire with a circus atmosphere."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"..."The Magnificents" runs just under two hours including an intermission. I would have preferred more magic and less erratic storyline, but the magic is so rich that to severely criticize the overall production would be ungrateful. The show doesn't require much high level acting, but the ensemble carries out their roles with commitment and conviction. Lee Keenan has designed a basic set of a battered truck that converts to a primitive stage. He also designed the atmospheric lighting. Melissa Torchia designed the costumes, and Kevin O'Donnell designed the sound and composed the original music."
