The? Unicorn? Hour? Reviews
Chicago Tribune- Recommended
"...Urzendowski and Courser are vets of the Ruffians, creators of "Burning Bluebeard," in which performers from the horrific 1903 Iroquois Theatre fire try to get through the show without killing their audience. Here, they're trying to save us from our own darkest impulses, our psychic conflagrations of self-doubt. Given the omnipresent gloom-and-doom (what we might once have called "national malaise"), a show like "The? Unicorn? Hour?" lets us grab despair by the horn and find radical resistance in unexpected joy."
Chicago Reader- Recommended
"...Is this precious, foul-mouthed pair in rainbow-hued face paint and Cirque du Soleil-esque unitards hosting a terrible children's television show, rehearsing an intricate, meaningless ritual, or simply fucking around to stave off despair? Who cares? Inscrutability gives the show its beguiling power, as though luminous preconscious impulses have been loosed upon our drearily rational world. Director Adrian Danzig creates an exquisitely complex tone: sunny, bewildering, unaccountably ominous. Only in the final moments, when the performers start clarifying their intentions, does the piece lose a bit of its fascination."
The Fourth Walsh- Highly Recommended
"...This show is emotionally engaging because of Team U&C. They interact with the audience. They tether us to their nonsense and their seriousness. Their moves, whether dancing or flipping, are perfectly in-sync. Urzendowski effortlessly slips her legs around Courser's waist and then delightfully peeks out from his legs. The twosome generate this sense of oneness. Their twisting of limbs are centipede-like contortions. They showcase the depth of the trust and intimacy. I found out post-show that the couple is a couple offstage which made their connection even more adorable. I like to imagine they sit at home in tiny chairs drinking tea from mismatched cups in shimmery jumpsuits...all the time!"
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
"..."The? Unicorn? Hour?" is anti-cynic. Fear happens and bad things exist but we don't have to be overtaken by them. Urzendowski and Courser are searching to sustain joy and sharing their findings. It's hard to elaborate as everything feels like a spoiler. Seeing this show is good for you. It doesn't banish fear but accepts and confronts it. The pair choose to find a world where they can be happy and then they share that world with us. There's no need to think too much, you're here to experience, love and laugh."