The Orchestra presented by Akvavit Theatre at Rivendell Theatre

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Leo coyly sets the play in the band's nondescript dressing room, a cruddy limbo where long-repressed dreams and longer-repressed resentments hold dominion. Director Brad Akin finds ample humor and pathos as the band bumbles toward rejuvenation, but when the play devolves into an unaccountable hostage situation, internal logic evaporates-along with most of the comedy."

ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended

"...It would be fine to have exaggerated characters in a ridiculous situation if it were done consistently. Jim Poole plays Jase, who is, admittedly, drunk, as a caricature whose fake sobbing briefly wins Simone’s sympathy because this is a world where absurd things happen. But Herson plays Rane as a quite realistically troubled man who is aware that his family is in shambles and that his artistic career peaked in 1995, but that it’s all he has left."

Chicago Theater Beat - Somewhat Recommended

"...Despite the faults with this loony Finnish script, director Brad Akin keeps his production interesting throughout. Neither the band's initial squabbles nor their eventual senseless behavior become too annoying to watch. If you like oddball stories, The Orchestra should play to that fancy, but it doesn't represent Akvavit's most successful effort in disseminating Nordic culture."

NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...This kind of stilted and jolting dialogue hones in on the weaknesses of language and the overwhelming difficulties humans experience when communicating. Ultimately, however, the play relies so heavily on Halla’s buffoonery and his constant digressions that, by the second half of “The Orchestra” the humor feels repetitive and on the verge becoming annoying."