Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...You watch this show very much involved in Anna’s situation — and the adaptation puts its focus on the situational, the things that get in the way of happiness, the irreconcilability of choice and obligation. And it notes with particular force that almost all these obligations were things over which a woman in this particular time and place had very little control."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Lifeline Theatre's technical staff proves likewise capable of delivering the miracles necessary to create grand-scale cosmology in a physically restricted space. Amanda Link's visual direction encapsulates a child's anguish in a wooden-faced marionette, the pains of parturition in a red-stained bedsheet and the progress of Anna and Alexei's fatal liaison in a pas de deux endowing a Mazurka's marching-drill choreography with the smoldering sensuality of a tango. Joanna Iwanicka embellishes her constructivist scenic design with motifs drawn from the radical Symbolist Art movement of the period, while Izumi Inaba's wardrobe spans pre- and post-World War I fashions, both hinting at the era of social emancipation to come."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...It’s hard to see the point of an adaptation with so little point of view. Link and Buha don’t provide much beyond a three-dimensional summary of the novel; early grace notes like cast members ominously hissing and whooshing throughout certain scenes—foreshadowing Anna’s eventual fate—-prove to be the exception."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...There are 864 pages in Leo Tolstoy’s novel, “Anna Karenina”, so I had to wonder how anyone could adapt it into a 2 or 2 ½ hour stage play. I also knew that if anyone could do it, it would be the folks at Lifeline Theatre, since that’s what they do. Time after time! Jessica Wright Buha’s adaptation is dramatic, intelligent, true to the story and very stage-worthy. I really enjoyed it."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...Overall, Lifeline is adept to take on Tolstoy’s masterpiece. One of my favorite theatre experiences in Chicago continues to be an adaptation of a historical classic by Lifeline. ANNA KARENINA is a steamy, winter treat!"
Chicago On Stage - Recommended
"...Lifeline’s Anna Karenina has no shortage of redeeming qualities. The ensemble cast and crew are teeming with talent, and, from the arrival of the first train that begins the play, it’s clear that they’ve wholeheartedly leapt into the task of bringing Anna to the stage. From the stage design to the litany of strong performances by the ensemble cast, to the flawless direction of Amanda Link and her captivating use of space, sound, light, and set, the play is, by turns, creative, arresting, heartbreaking, and transporting."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...Zacharias carries no easy task in playing the role of Anna, but her performance is absolutely lovely. The character walks a truly devastating path, and Zacharias brings each stage in her story to life with an impressive honesty. Gerard and Zacharias share excellent stage chemistry, and the authenticity and hardship that the duo brings to the relationship only adds to the production. It is no surprise that Tolstoy refrains from granting Anna a perfect storybook ending, and Zacharias makes it easy for the audience to sympathize with this character’s impossible situation."