Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...The piece, which ran about 110 minutes on opening, needs some cuts and I think Chum still needs to figure out what he wants to do with Ma, just as the production needs to allow the overly frenetic subplot between Sophea and Seth to grow. “You’re a great kisser,” we hear, even as we can see that the characters are not actually kissing; notwithstanding its origin in a stressful moment, the relationship is not given the truthful dignity I think the play is saying it needs."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Under Jesca Prudencio’s direction, this world-premiere production is also a classic Chicago-style show, featuring fiercely committed acting in an intimate environment, in this case the Steppenwolf’s new in-the-round Ensemble Theatre. There’s even a small-scale explosive dinner sequence that gets powerfully uncomfortable in just the way family dramas should."
Daily Herald - Somewhat Recommended
"...Ultimately, however, it's Lim's deeply felt, deeply resonant performance as Him, Chum's best-developed, most compelling character, that grounds this play. Hers is the story we most want to hear and the one that sustains "Bald Sisters.""
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...In a rapid 100 minutes ricochets a kaleidoscope of themes, including immigration, assimilation, loss, and community. Ho is endearingly fabulous as Ma. Lim is stoic and McKenzie sassy as the sisters. Rakhshanifar is the neighbor everybody needs as Seth, and Goss affable in his flaws as Nate. Every detail and intention in this production is lovingly conveyed, every line of the play piercingly, poignantly true."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...“Bald Sisters” is a masterful portrayal of an immigrant family from Cambodia who struggles to adapt to a new environment, separate and distinct from their country of origin. Playwright Vichet Chum has created a truly inspired story about two sisters and their mother whose feet are planted in two different worlds."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Vichet Chum’s story of a Cambodian immigrant family is filled with fascinating people and constant surprises and plot twists. In some ways this play reminded me a little of “Cambodian Rock Band,” with an elderly character who delights the audience with humor, while delivering all the truths. But this playwright seems to be saying to the audience that, despite having survived a devastating heritage, this could be our very own family. The problems and complications experienced by Him, her mother, sister, husband and gardener might actually be similar to the lives we know. But through Chum’s unexpected humor and dramatic events, coupled with the electrifying portrayal of these five memorable characters, we come away from Jesca Prudencio’s sublime production with new knowledge. We realize that people, although sometimes bitches, are really all quite a bit alike."
Buzznews.net - Highly Recommended
"..."Bald Sisters," in its world premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre, tells of a Cambodian refugee who escaped the unspeakable terror of the Kmer Rouge with her daughter, and made a new life and birthed a second daughter in the U.S. But the play only touches that in passing, instead focusing on universal themes as it portrays very realistically the generational divides that affect us all."
The Fourth Walsh - Somewhat Recommended
"...Although BALD SISTERS is amusing, it’s not endearing. I was primarily left perplexed. I appreciated the humor. Yet, I wanted to dig through the relationship wreckage for a deeper link. I wanted to care about these BALD SISTERS. I liked them. I didn’t love them. And I completely missed THE pivotal end scene from my vantage point (north side of the theatre, row B). Prudencio staged the sisters’ tenderhearted exchange on the floor. A table obstructed my entire view. It was another missed opportunity to bond with the BALD SISTERS."
Third Coast Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...Bald Sisters, part of Steppenwolf’s new play development initiative, is a work in progress and not quite ready for a world premiere. The acting is solid, with Ho’s endearing performance as Ma a special delight. The strongest story thread is Him’s and Lim’s performance is warm and caring. But Prudencio’s direction is not able to blend the elements into a whole. The story and the characters all have potential but they never seem to coalesce into a coherent throughline. Locations of scene changes (identified in the script) are not made clear on stage. The dialogue and events of the play are bits and pieces compiled to make a script."
BroadwayWorld - Somewhat Recommended
"...Steppenwolf presents a new twist on the well-trod territory of the dysfunctional family drama with Vichet Chum's BALD SISTERS. As far as dysfunctional families go, too, the family in BALD SISTERS doesn't have the most baggage. That said, Chum's characters still have plenty to contend with as sisters Him and Sophea mourn the loss of their mother. The play is a meditation on the circle of life, but I appreciate that BALD SISTERS is an exercise in subtlety as far as family dramas go. As a result, some of Chum's scenes meander and don't seem to have a purpose within the context of the play, but I like that BALD SISTERS has themes that wash over audiences rather than hit them over the head."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Chum's script, expertly helmed by Prudencio, is the veritable American story: A family seeking and finding a better life while struggling with the concepts of materialism, familial responsibility, assimilation, religion and fidelity toward each other."
