Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...However, the play falls short in two regards. Most notably, Demos-Brown’s play gets too caught up in having the various issues surrounding racism fall into dialogue and debate with each other, rather than the characters themselves. Coming from an interracial relationship, I find it difficult to imagine that after at least 18 years together, this couple has not already had all these seminal discussions about ethnicity, having a biracial child, law enforcement (especially with Scott working for the FBI), and the like."
Around The Town Chicago
- Recommended
"...“American Son” by Christopher Demos-Brown points up the agonies that many African American parents go through when their young sons come of age. It is an emotional account of a family’s experiences with the law enforcement system in the South. This four-character drama brings out many core issues concerning race and class today, especially regarding how black teenage men are treated at the hands of the police. Fleetwood-Jordain’s production, directed by Tim Rhoze, is excellently performed and tells a meaningful tale."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...It's a small cast and all four actors are superb. Michael Manocchio brings a sense of uncertainty and vulnerability to the role of Officer Larkin, whose unenviable task it is to placate the parents with meager scraps of sketchy information. The mom describes him as ‘a low-level flunkey who’s not too bright”. His subconscious racism is transparent to us, as in his fumbling attempt to bond with the father by “speaking badge to badge” while sweating it out until the all-knowing Detective Stokes turns up."
Evanston Roundtable
- Highly Recommended
"...American Son is a powerhouse of a play and the production by Fleetwood-Jordain Theatre at Noyes Cultural Art Center has the muscle to handle it."
Splash Magazine
- Somewhat Recommended
"...In this production of American Son, I felt an emotional disconnect. The timing was sometimes a bit off, and the performance of Alexandria Moorman (Kendra Ellis-Connor) was overly angry. The mother’s pain would have been believable with a bit of vulnerability. There seemed to be no chemistry between her and co-star Martin Andrews (Scott Connor). The entire cast emoting was flat at times. With a tense storyline, it was awkward to hear the burst of laughter during scenes that were supposed to be serious."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...“American Son” is not for the faint of heart. Written by Christopher Demos-Brown and directed by Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre’s artistic director Tim Rhoze, “American Son” climbs the emotional ladder steadily until all that is left on stage is a narrowing spotlight highlighting a world of eternal grief. Before that moment, however, we are presented with a mom anxiously awaiting word on the whereabouts of her teenage son. Pacing the floor of the police station, Kendra, an African American professor, is in the waiting room from hell with information filtering down from an impersonal bureaucracy. Soon to enter the scene is her estranged husband, a white FBI agent concerned about their son but also sympathetic to the officers on hand."
