40 Whacks at Annoyance Theatre

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Aggie Hewitt's hilarious take on the legendary Lizzy Borden parricide forgoes raunch and easy laughs, bubbling instead with smart dialogue and stranger-than-fiction historical curiosities, while Lisa McQueen's solid music bolsters the story with quirky charm. As Lizzie, Ellen Stoneking has a convincing gleam of subdued insanity in her eyes. Cohesion gives way to a flurry of uneven vignettes during the hallucinatory second-act murder trial, but the show saves itself by resurrecting the butchered parents (Jennifer Estlin and Noah Gregoropoulos) in brief, excellent cameos."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Not Recommended

"...There are some fun things going on, but that doesn't make this a fun show.  In my view, vomit jokes are never funny (they get less funny when you show the vomit), and a story about two famous murders better damn well have good special effects.  With those things in play, and a bunch of jokes that fall very short of funny, this show just isn't ready.  The Annoyance is known for a lot of humor and a good deal of offense.  Personally, I'd rather be offended than bored."