Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...But as it is, this is a sharp and heartfelt account of an important footnote in American history. Gardner and Black Ensemble deserve credit for giving Moses Fleetwood Walker a theatrical turn at bat."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Now, however, you find yourself in a classic American courtroom with a grand wooden interior and eagle-emblazoned rotunda floor - the backdrop for Ervin Gardner's stirring world premiere courtroom drama, "The Trial of Moses 'Fleetwood' Walker," a play based on a real but little known case rooted in racial discrimination."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...A considerable portion of the proceedings is spent trying to determine who was drunk at the time of the incident, but the amateurish, oddly stilted acting had me asking whether I was the one drunk: among other crimes, witnesses deliver lines in accents that stray from merry olde England to the south, and Walker's head defense attorney might as well be HAL 9000 in a three-piece suit. There are none of the musical showstoppers BET is known for, but Jackie Taylor's original score is zippy and suspenseful even if the strings are a little schmaltzy."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Beneath the suspense generated by Gardner's articulate dialogue as we await the jury foreman's announcement of the verdict is another curiosity observed by long-time Black Ensemble audiences—namely, the absence of songs, dances, and musicians visible onstage. Oh, Robert Reddrick and his instrumentalists are concealed offstage, where they supply string-band incidental music punctuating the arguments in progress, but there is no mistaking this exercise in classical American realism ( occasional expository video projections notwithstanding ) for a "musical" of the kind associated with Jackie Taylor's company. Toe-tappers needn't fear abandonment, however. As the BET artistic director noted in her curtain speech, the mission of addressing additional topics to those previously examined signals, not a closing, but an opening of doors into a future auspiciously heralded by this superlative production."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...The story’s power, of course, persists in the present: So many young blacks don’t even get the benefit of a trial since shoot-to-kill–by George Zimmerman and countless cops–is a quicker final solution. Walker’s trial was 124 years ago–but the hate crime could be tomorrow."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...The courtroom exchanges are tough to stomach yet they set the tone for the surprising verdict. Nick Ferrin is terrific as Harrison Hoyt, Walker’s clever defense attorney while T.E. Hancock ( Jack Birdwell) was the extremely racist prosecutor. The entire cast was motivated to tell the racial-charged story was vigor and heart. This strong true story speaks directly to the mission of the Black Ensemble Theater – to eradicate racism. This play’s message of hope and possibility for society to finally start a dialogue about race in America. The Trial of Moses Fleetwood Walker is a brave, honest, and powerful drama designed to get all of us facing the race problem. It is also a suspenseful engaging drama and wonderful theatre. Kudos to Black Ensemble for mounting this important work."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...It is a large and very diverse cast of players with many of the men playing a multitude of roles, having many costumes and wig changes to help them create the characters they represent. While there are many main characters, I would have to call this a pure "ensemble" piece in that it takes all of the actors to truly bring this majestic drama to light. Most of you are used to the musicals that are performed at BE, but if you understand up-front that this is a different type of show and open your mind to the lessons one can learn from this production, it is well worth the trip."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...The details of this well-acted, stylishly-produced drama need to be seen and heard first-hand in order to be fully appreciated. First-time playwright Ervin Gardner is off to a good start with this historical drama, although a dramaturg is needed to correct some of the jarring anachronisms within the dialogue. The play is interesting, taut and, besides presenting a forgotten chapter in our nation’s history, serves to remind us that the road to racial harmony is a long, continuous journey that requires constant work."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Recommended
"...“The Trial of Moses Fleetwood Walker” is an absorbing slice of Americana, not a nostalgia trip back to the Gay Nineties but an exposure of the intensity of the country’s racial divide when the Civil War was still a living memory. Evan Gardner’s play is noteworthy as a first effort and the BET should encourage him to explore other incidents relevant to racial history in the United States. The BET is returning to its pop music roots with its next production but hopefully it can find room on its annual schedule for a relevant non-musical drama on the level of Moses Walker’s story."
