American Hwangap at Halcyon Theatre at Christ Lutheran Church

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Lloyd Suh's heartfelt domestic drama is a touching, challenging work that makes an earnest case for giving second chances where second chances are absolutely not deserved. Helen Young's Halcyon Theatre staging, a coproduction with A-Squared Theatre, doesn't quite reach the emotional depths Suh's text suggest, but it's a thoughtful, uplifting 90 minutes."

Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended

"...The play unfolds at a measured pace, considering more the interrelations of characters than simmering to one boiling point (indeed it goes one scene further than it ought to). But from first to last it is fiercely witty and deeply poignant. It’s an old fashioned family comedy all the funnier because of it’s truth."

Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended

"...Splendidly acted and backed by a heartwarming story, American Hwangap provides a wonderful reflection on the struggles and meaning of family in contemporary America. Its co-production is also a powerful testament to the strength of Chicago's Asian theater artists. Intelligent, funny and affecting, American Hwangap is as much a window into Korean-American culture as it is our own lives."

Picture This Post - Somewhat Recommended

"...The best scenes are the two in the opening. First, we meet Jin Kim as Ralph Chun, who immediately establishes himself as quirky and loveable. He is wearing a ceremonial robe that his father, the Hwangap celebrant, would usually be wearing, but never mind that."

NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended

"..."American Hwangap" is funny because it's true to both character and culture. Min Suk speaks the uncanny English of the immigrant, tossing off colloquialisms like "off the sauce" and "fuckwads" with his lapses in grammar, while Mary is the successful American struggling to reconcile with traditions from another place. How the children manage their losses also tells the story of any second-generation immigrant separated from a history and a culture they cannot quite recall. This is the truth of America."