Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Here, it often feels as if all three of the major characters are afraid of each other, as well as their own selves, and the director, who has also done some of the best shows I’ve seen in my life, is nervous of the entire enterprise. It’s a tough piece. That’s what makes it so worthwhile."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...In bursts, this Writers Theatre production, directed by William Brown, is up to the challenge. It presents a set of fine performances and flashes of genuine dramatic beauty. But the production also possesses a certain frenetic energy that keeps it from settling in comfortably for long stretches in order to let the characters and dialogue do the necessary digging into internal darkness, which then makes it more difficult still to emerge from that darkness into something like forgiveness or transcendence."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Bethany Thomas gives a galvanic, heart-wrenching performance as Josie Hogan, a daughter who tries to be everything to everyone only to leave herself with nothing. Eugene O’Neill’s 1943 tragedy, set on an imperiled tenant farm in 1920s Connecticut, is given extra contemporary resonance by director William Brown’s innovative casting."
Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended
"...The daily bread of them all, these desperate occupants of Eugene O'Neill's "A Moon for the Misbegotten," is mendacity. They lie to each other and they lie to themselves, until they each find some part of redemption in some measure of truth. Their rough progress toward that grail is a magical thing to witness at Writers Theatre in an earthy, soulful production directed by William Brown."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...We highly recommend "A Moon For The Misbegotten" although this play was nearly 3 hours long, it was worth every minute to see how the tragic love story between Josie and Jim unfolded. Two lonely souls that were never allowed to come together entertained us with pain and laughter which tugged at our hearts and permitted us to empathize with them in their dilemma to become one."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Doing the work of a master playwright such as Eugene O’Neill, is not for every theater. In fact, until Writers built their new stage, they had never attempted to do one of his plays. Now, with the new stage area and the dreams of Director William Brown, they have taken on one of O’Neill’s deepest explorations of humanity, which even though the story takes place in the 1920’s, could easily transfer to the people of today (except without the electronics). “A Moon For The Misbegotten” is in many ways a love story, and while it is close to three hours in length, with two intermissions, feels much shorter."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"..."A Moon for the Misbegotten" is a high-risk choice for any theater. O'Neill may be America's greatest playwright but he has not been an audience favorite in recent decades, notwithstanding the occasionally successful production of "Long Days Journey into Night," Ah, Wilderness!, "and "The Iceman Cometh." Still, "A Moon for the Misbegotten" was triumphantly revived at the now d defunct Academy Playhouse in Lake Forest in July 1973, starring Colleen Dewhurst and Jason Robards, Jr., that was so successful it transferred to New York City for a solid run. The success of the production jumpstarted an upward reevaluation of O'Neill's work. That kind of lightning may not strike again at the Writers Theatre but every patron should be impressed with the play's heart and soul and the committed and insightful performances. Taken in that spirit the show is a must see."
The Hawk Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...All in all, though, this 180 minute endeavor is one well-worth undertaking. Every element, from the script's masterful crafting to the actors to the tremendous set and sound designs (Todd Rosenthal and Andrew Hansen), comes together to create a moving and surprisingly relatable production. Perhaps we all just need a little more moonlight in our lives."
Chicago Theater and Arts - Somewhat Recommended
"...The production's setting is still O'Neill's Connecticut farm in 1923 but neither the time period nor the state make a difference to the playwright's theme of finding inner truth and love. Without continual focus and buildup, the play's nearly three hours is difficult to sit through which is a shame because Josie's and James emotional revelations are at the classic's core."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...A Moon for the Misbegotten by Eugene O'Neill is often a problematic play to produce because it depends so much on the character of Josie Hogan. The tragic figure, Jim Tyrone, may be the ostensible main character of the show, but Josie, who is onstage for almost the entire play, is a powerhouse of a figure that too many productions get wrong. No wonder: O'Neill created a virtually uncastable character in Josie: 5'11", big-boned, and buxom, she must tower over most of the men in her life, able to overwhelm them with anger or, for the right man, maternal love. In Bethany Thomas, Writers Theatre has found an almost ideal Josie. And it isn't just her physical appearance, though that works perfectly. Thomas has all of the necessary acting chops to create this complex woman who masks her loneliness with bravado and self-deprecation that itself masks as braggadocio. At the center of the action in this haunting, often hilarious play, Thomas brings this larger than life character down to earth."
