Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Yet despite game performances all around (Rory Jobst's cop does a disturbing lip-sync to Fiona Apple's "Criminal") and a particularly high-octane turn from Holly Cerney as the Maniac, director Ben Fuchsen's staging for Oracle never finds a sure footing for Fo's on-the-ledge tale. The overly literalized way that Cerney's character crawls past the fourth wall (a series of moving doors framed by steel pipes in Eleanor Kahn's set) to engage the audience feels contrived and obvious. The sound and fury doesn't leave much breathing room for us to draw our own conclusions."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Director Brad Fuchsen stages the play as an expressionist nightmare--an approach that might give it a fitting gravitas. But his stylistic overhaul results in the loss of nearly all internal logic. This Oracle Productions show generates more confusion than outrage."
Centerstage
- Not Recommended
"...The problems with Oracle Theatre’s “Accidental Death of an Anarchist” reflect the problems with anarchy itself. Where it seeks to be wild, it comes off as manic and sloppy. Where it aims for joys of freedom, it instead seems bewildered and abandoned. Where it wants to stick it to “The Man” it only ends up sticking itself in the eye. True to the spirit of playwright Dario Fo, this production is offered free of charge through Oracle’s Public Access program. And yet I still cannot recommend that anyone go see it. "
Chicago Stage Review
- Somewhat Recommended
"... Oracle Theatre Company’s production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist dulls the barb of one of the most sharp-witted political farces of all time. Not even the excellent performances of Victoria Gilbert and Anya Clingman, not even free theatre and free beer, can compensate for this production’s utter lack of willingness to tear the establishment a new asshole."
Time Out Chicago
- Not Recommended
"...Under Fuchsen’s anything-goes direction, Cerney chews her lines with a gravelly, grating voice and wanders the set in seemingly random blocking, staring away from her scene partners to no effect. Cheap references to the 99 percent do little to add relevance to the mess. By the time Rory Jobst’s Officer takes the audience prisoner with a mid-intermission Fiona Apple cover, even the cast seems to know the jig is up."
Stage and Cinema
- Not Recommended
"... Anarchy is not chaos. The former means “without law,” and the latter means “without form.” This is an important distinction to consider in a play that intends to make an argument for anarchy. After a government scandal, a schizoid anarchist poses as certain government officials to disrupt the government from the inside, and then calls the audience to action to continue his work. But Oracle Theatre’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist doesn’t seem to understand this distinction, leaving the audience to watch two and a half hours of unbridled entropy."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Not Recommended
"...Oracle's tiny performance space acts more as an obstacle than a set for its young cast, who in their wild farcical frenzy often find themselves tripping over props and chairs that have been errantly misplaced. Thus what otherwise might be effective slapstick looks messy and confused, with director Ben Fuchsen's blocking unable to pull needed focus to drive home the gags. A large and clunky police desk occupies almost a quarter of the stage, and one cannot help but feel that the actors might have found more of a footing in their routines if they had been allowed to take a greater command of their space. Indeed, Eleanor Kahn's set works best when it works least, and her use of simple transposable door frames is nonetheless effective. Liz Sutherland's light designs work well with Kahn's sets, helping create the needed range of dark emotional tones."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Somewhat Recommended
"... The strength of this production was its performances. These actors were well cast, really listened to each other, and all very much apart of the same universe. If you’re looking for an evening that’s a little rough around the edges but filled with spark and bizarre, mesmerizing characters, this is the show for you."
