Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...To put all this more simply: the script, which is too long for a one-act, needs a lot of work and, although there are some strong actors in the piece and some potent moments, it generally behooves new writers not to direct their own promising works in progress. Better to step back, stand on both sides of the border and decide whose story you really want to tell."
Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...For much of its 100-minute running time, “A Distinct Society” feels like you are watching the characters explain themselves to themselves. Small details play largely like excuses to get someone on- or off-stage, and exposition only seems to set up more exposition, eventually setting up a climactic moment of drama that feels especially contrived."
Daily Herald - Recommended
"...The play fares best when Fahmy keeps the focus there and not on a romantic subplot that is unconvincing and only clutters the narrative. The same can be said of the multiple discourses on comic book superhero The Green Lantern and references to a communitywide talent show. Although that needless diversion comes with a saving grace: We get to hear Kate Fry sing snippets of the "Habanera" from Georges Bizet's "Carmen.""
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Even still, A Distinct Society (the name refers to the Quebecois movement in the 1980s and 1990s to separate Quebec from Canada proper) has the ingredients to become a rare hybrid of quasi-political thriller and family drama set in a singularly intriguing geographic locale. It needs tightening and focus, but the story Fahmy is trying to tell is important and rich with dramatic potential."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...Writers Theatre's A Distinct Society, written and directed by Canadian-born playwright Kareem Fahmy, is based on actual events where a Muslim Ban issued by Trump limited Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen individuals from visiting the U.S. However, perches the border of the U.S. and Canada, there was a library on the boundaries of the Derby Line, Vermont, and Stanstead, Quebec, where Middle Eastern families could visit and reconnect through word-of-mouth and social media."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"..."A Distinct Society" is filled with many topics- family, food, art, objects, history, politics, honesty, traditions and honor. It is in fact deeply moving and when the final scene begins, you will see how these players have been transformed into different people than they were at the start of the story, only 95 minutes earlier."
Third Coast Review - Recommended
"...It is hard not to see how the division over race and ethnicity continues to ramp up everywhere. The referendum from Parti Quebecois revealed the violence and the racism that I foolishly thought did not happen in Canada as it was a destination for enslaved Black Americans. That was less than 20 years ago-one generation. A Distinct Society puts that divide on the stage and it will resonate with anyone who can open their eyes to see and hearts to acknowledge."
Chicago On Stage - Somewhat Recommended
"...A Distinct Society has the possibility of becoming a very important play and one of the only new plays to take a serious look at Trump’s legacy. Clearly, that is what Fahmy set out to do, but there is a lot of polishing left."
Life and Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Writers Theatre is known for its commitment to details and to exploring the power of the written word when interpreted by brilliant talents. “A Distinct Society” has moments of brilliance and some truly excellent performances."
Chicago Culture Authority - Recommended
"...The ebb and flow of the conflicting feelings and actions of these characters is more compelling than the will-they-or-won't-they questions regarding the budding romance between Manon and Bruce and the missed connections between Peyman and Shirin, but it's a thought-provoking play worth seeing nonetheless. Declan's closing monologue about the virtues of the Green Lantern Corps and the lessons we should learn from it is as on-the-nose as you might expect a class presentation from an earnest, overwrought teen would be, but the message of humanity and hope it delivers is a good and important one just the same."
Evanston Roundtable - Recommended
"...The actors perform their heartwarming roles so well that it’s possible to like them and wish them well while, at the same time, fear what their political environments reveal and what their personal backgrounds stifle. The complexities of their situations, and the actors’ renditions, are the magic of this production."
NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...There's a point where Manon, dressed as the lusty Carmen, throws herself into the eager arms of Bruce on a library couch, before collecting herself and sending the hot-and-bothered border guard packing. "A Distinct Society" does something similar to its audience, flirting with relevance and purpose but never quite sealing the deal. The situation depicted here, an outgrowth of the deeper problem of toxic nationalism, is concrete and innately political. The personal good intentions and grandiose philosophizing offered here, especially at the show's opaque ending, might distract us, but they won't do much to save us."
