An Enemy of the People Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended

"...“An Enemy of the People” is not the flashiest of the Ibsen dramas and, in the wrong hands, this story of a doctor who figures out that the lucrative but contaminated town spa will lead to illness or death can come off as a predictable moral melodrama — with the righteous medic fighting to get the word out as self-serving business and publishing sectors move to stop him from ruining their livelihoods, a group that includes the town mayor, who just happens to be the doctor’s power-loving brother."

Chicago Sun Times - Recommended

"...Director Ron OJ Parson has a knack for working with talented ensembles while allowing space for individual performances to shine. Allan is excellent as Dr. Stockmann. He’s truly engaging as his social circle crumbles, and his friends evolve into foes. Dabu portrays a formidable antagonist as the powerful small town politician who, even as villain, truly believes he’s the hero."

Daily Herald - Highly Recommended

"...Just how timely was evidenced by audience members’ rapturous applause and rueful laughter to several significant moments in TimeLine Theatre Company’s bracing revival of Amy Herzog’s 2024 adaptation, which inaugurates TimeLine’s stylish new home in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...If your impression of Ibsen is that of a humorless moralist, this production will certainly change that, without undermining the fundamental and crucial dilemmas at the crux of the drama. This apparently is the year for finding the funny bone in 19th-century Scandinavian playwrights—Steppenwolf’s production of August Strindberg’s The Dance of Death also provided several (admittedly mordant) laugh"

Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended

"...This is a signature production of this masterpiece and it will ask you how far would you go to do the right thing? Don’t miss it."

Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Highly Recommended

"...Directed by Ron OJ Parson, this play, which runs 2 hours, including a 15-minute intermission, highlights Parson's strength as a director, with its smooth flow and captivating storytelling making it a must-see experience."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...Last night was the “Inaugural Opening Night” at TimeLine Theatre’s wonderful building in the Uptown neighborhood, of a Chicago Premiere of Amy Herzog’s adaptation of “An Enemy of the People”, a story deep in political pressure that Henrik Ibsen penned almost 150 years ago. The main character is Doctor Stockman ( a magnificent performance by Will Allan) who as a scientist has found that the unique spa recently opened for their community, may in fact be harmful to the community. He has published a paper that details all of the problems and feels the need to tell the community."

Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended

"...TimeLine Theatre Company’s exciting, inaugural production in their shining, new theatre, is a bonafide hit. AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE will always be remembered as the magnificent production that celebrated the opening of TimeLine Theatre’s new home. Although it’s a play written in Norway over 140 years ago, Henrik Ibsen’s important drama still feels incredibly contemporary. This story about greed, corruption and a health danger, exposed by a conscientious whistleblower, smacks of the problems that still haunt the current American political climate. TimeLine effectively drags the audience kicking and screaming into a history that never seems to get better."

Buzz Center Stage - Highly Recommended

"...Timeline's glow up from Wellington to North Broadway is something to marvel at. Uptown has gained a Steppenwolf-level theater. Legendary Chicago director Ron OJ Parson brings a certain sophistication well deserving of this sleek 250-seat theater. Everything is just right here."

The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended

"...Playwright Amy Herzog has dusted off Henrik Ibsen’s political classic. Herzog uses razor-sharp dialogue to showcase the timeless debate between the rich and the poor, the government and the people, and the liberals, moderates and conservatives. She approaches the controversy from every angle. Characters passionately commit to a side and then casually flip flop. Herzog shows humanity for the common good alongside the wolfish ambition to dominate. The conversations are smart often punctuated with humor."

Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended

"...Opening night for the first play in Timeline Theatre's new building was a sparkly affair. The audience was full of theater people and the level of drama was amped up because this was a night of good news. After years of concern in the arts community about the survival of theater and other arts organizations, an established mid-size theater was opening a brand new facility and expanding the Uptown arts neighborhood."

Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended

"...Directed by Ron OJ Parson, this play finds itself strangely more relevant today than it has been at any time in the 144 years since it was written thanks to the fact that we witness daily obfuscations of the truth in the service of power. The press, which is at the center of the play, has even been called the “enemy of the people” by the man who is currently leading this country. And the dawn of AI makes it sometimes impossible to know what is real and what is not. The outrageous situation in this play is one that has played out over and over again within our lifetimes, and grows worse every day: even when whistle-blowers exist, they are silenced and people are fed disinformation from sources they should be able to trust in order to cause confusion."

PicksInSix - Highly Recommended

"...Precisely timed at an inflection point for the long-term stability of the performing arts in Chicago, TimeLine Theatre Company has accomplished the nearly impossible dream of planning, funding and opening a state-of-the-art black box theater that has all the makings of providing not only a sparkling, much-needed new venue for creative artists, but also a shimmering anchor for the Uptown neighborhood. It is an unqualified, stellar, multi-faceted achievement!"

Curtain Call Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...When truth becomes a threat, democracy starts to look an awful lot like a desperate hostage situation. TimeLine Theatre's Chicago Premiere of Amy Herzog's "An Enemy of the People" turns Henrik Ibsen's 19th-century warning into an eerily and uncomfortably relatable fight over power, political spin, and the price of speaking plainly in public. Sound familiar?"

Allie and the After Party - Highly Recommended

"...Feeling like a mirror to today as a doctor is silenced among cries of fake news, An Enemy of the People follows one doctor’s passionate attempts at getting a town to listen. Led by masterful performances, the cast makes us feel exactly the way they want us to from admiration, to frustration, to hopeful."

Werner's Theatre Reviews - Highly Recommended

"...Months after moving into its new home in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood, TimeLine Theatre continues its 29th season with the Chicago premiere of An Enemy of the People. Playwright Amy Herzog adapted Henrik Ibsen's 1882 play for the Broadway stage in 2024 to widespread acclaim. The production earned five Tony Award nominations, including Best Revival of a Play, and won the 2024 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Adaptation. In TimeLine's production, An Enemy of the People lands with striking force, as its themes feel just as relevant today as they did 143 years ago when the play first premiered in Norway."

BroadwayWorld - Highly Recommended

"...New home, same high-quality productions. TimeLine Theatre Company is inaugurating its new theater in Uptown in an impressively dynamic production of when truth and power collide and personal convictions are put to the test. Directed by TimeLine Company Member Ron OJ Parson, TimeLine’s Chicago premiere of Amy Herzog’s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s 1882 classic drama presents an evocative take on a timeless, forever relevant question: are you willing to risk it all to do the right thing?"

NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...This is an excellent production and a great way to christen the new home of a company focused on history—with dirty water from the past."