Big Love at Strawdog Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...It also helps that the performances are terrific from top to bottom, including John Henry Roberts' Piero, the owner of the Italian villa who finds his attempts to help the women thwarted by realpolitik, and Cheryl Roy as Bella, the Italian matriarch who demonstrates the fates of her 13 sons with the aid of a basket of tomatoes. They're ripe, juicy - and like some ill-matched lovers, doomed to end up smashed to pieces."

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...The precisely choreographed cast of 30 (yes, 30) play for keeps-especially those in featured roles, such as the fierce Michaela Petro, the convincingly dangerous Shane Kenyon, the girly-girlish Sarah Goeden, and Stacy Stoltz and John Ferrick as gender warriors who find themselves caught behind enemy lines. Paul Fagen and Cheryl Roy float through in delightful character roles, and Mike Mroch's apparently simple set discloses its value as the show goes along. All in all, this Big Love is a marvel of big ensemble work in a tiny space."

ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended

"...With such a large cast it would be difficult and unfair to suggest a standout role so it thankfully suffices to say that the production as a whole is what made the show so terrific. Strawdog's unique theater setup, which seats the audience on two sides of the stage does well to close in Piero's garden. The villa is well designed and it's no question from the moment you take your seat what country you're set in."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...There’s a lot going on in this battle royale of the sexes that makes everything old seem new again. In just 100 minutes, nearly every point on the spectrum of love is touched. It may not quite touch the heart, but it’s a fun collision of the unbelievable of antiquity and the frustrating banality of modernity that’s as high-spirited as it is high-style."

Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended

"...Playwright Charles Mee based his 2000 play on Aeschylus' "The Suppliants." Mee goes big in his poetic style script. Characters get to rant or contemplate in big-sized orations. Mee also adds 'house guests' as extra characters that are superfluous. When I saw this show performed before, it was confusing and long-winded. Under Hawkins' skillful direction, this story gets a much needed makeover. Hawkins interjects the music, the comedy, the aggression with perfect timing. He comes at the story from every possible angle. What is love? The male vs female sides are debated with equal intensity. My viewpoint is continuously swayed which is the biggest surprise to me."

Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended

"...The set was a ceiling of roses, vines, and light bulbs that seemed to go on forever in all directions. It worked on several levels: it was reminiscent of a wedding reception, it evoked the carefree attitude of the Italian characters, and it contrasted well with the dark nature of the events about to play out before us. The original score supported that contrast and worked on all those other levels as well."