Worthy at Adventure Stage Chicago

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...The story is touching from the get-go, with characters like Luna, a bubbly girl worried about her weight, who wins us over by sharing her hope that one day a panda will wander into her backyard so she can feed it bagged salad. Even if framing adolescence as a quest and teenagers as heroes feels wildly overinflated, the kids in the audience obviously relished seeing humdrum strife elevated to Hunger Games status. After the heroes outwit an Internet troll named Kyle, the cast asks the audience "What happens to him?" The reply a little girl cried out nearly stopped my heart: "I hope he gets his troll friends back."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended

"...Adventure Stage Chicago delivers an engaging and entertaining overall production. The text can wander a bit at times-as devised texts tend to do-which causes the story to occasionally stall and lose focus. But while it's clearly being geared toward a younger audience, there's plenty for anyone to learn from this fun production of Worthy. If you have kids, take them-easy choice. If you don't, go anyway, you might just learn something."

Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended

"...Adventure Stage, known for it’s fine stage adaptations of noteworthy children’s literature, also creates original theatrical pieces, from time to time. This may be one of their finest innovative plays and the most timely, exciting production in a long time. Dani Bryant’s play speaks to every audience member, young and old, singing the praises of resisting peer pressure and the dictates of social media and following one’s own ambitions, goals and dreams. Under Sarah Rose Graber’s smart and stimulating direction, this excellent production encourages every theatergoer to get their noses out of their cell phones and to really live life, being all that they can be."

The Fourth Walsh - Recommended

"...The story is clever. Three princesses and a prince try to figure out who they are verses who society thinks they should be. Bryant and Director Sarah Rose Graber, along with the ensemble, devise this modern-day fairytale. They super-charge the show with technology. Even the ending focuses on disconnecting from the virtual influences of the internet. I got it! I'm not sure all kids will. Even 'Worthy', as the title, is a hard word to define. And I don't remember the concept of 'worthy' being discussed during the play."