Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...I'm sure many of King's fans will love this piece, which is set on a revolving tennis court set designed by Wilson Chin, but I hope the next draft deviates a little more from the straight race through an incredible American life and sits longer with the beating heart of its most human of subjects."
Chicago Sun Times
- Recommended
"...This is a powerful show, but not really in the emotional sense. It has its rousing and feel-good moments, some of them on the sappy side, but it’s also an expression of female physical power. In a compelling performance, Chilina Kennedy brings a convincing muscularity to the role and also captures the power of King’s personality, expressing a relentless dynamism that not only explains Billie Jean’s competitiveness but also make her a convincingly natural leader."
Chicago Reader
- Recommended
"...But even as her public profile grows, her private life presents a public relations liability. We see a Billie Jean off the court who is worried that rumors about her true sexual orientation will upend her career and the larger cause of supporting women in pro sports. Not even the presence of loving husband Larry King (Dan Amboyer) can stop the rumor mill; when a former girlfriend, Marilyn Barnett, sues her for palimony, Billie Jean at first denies the allegations, but finally realizes that the only way to win this match is with full honesty. In 1981, she became the first female professional athlete to come out."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...It’s a summer of athleticism and art on Navy Pier at Chicago Shakespeare’s Yard Theater: fresh on the heels of opening an Ethiopian circus across the lobby, we can revel in the world premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s Billie Jean, which recounts the astounding life and career of Billie Jean King."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews
- Highly Recommended
"...As the World Turns, the fame of Billie Jean King and her accomplishments for women, sports, and women in general has, in the blink of an eye, faded from the minds of those who remember. But, paraphrasing from a play I saw recently at the Black Ensemble, "That's What Friends Are For," which reminds us of amazing icons, well, that's what plays are for."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...One might think that a play called Billie Jean will be little more than a biography of the legendary tennis player who turned the tennis world on its head to achieve equal pay and equal respect for women in the sport. You’d be wrong. The story goes well beyond weaving the moments of King’s life that helped shape her to what almost amounts as a self-help course designed to help everyone find their inner strength, one step at a time."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Ms. King continues to be an American icon, a true champion from the sporting world who, like all winners, persevered against the odds and refused to accept failure. Translated from the page into sheer poetry in motion, Director Marc Bruni and Movement Director Steph Paul serve up a talented cast who deliver a captivating story about a life that is still a work in progress. A true tale of valor, BILLIE JEAN shows the audience that for winners, losing is not an option."
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...When audiences walk into The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, they are immediately transported to a tennis match. Scenic designer Wilson Chin completely transforms the space— with audience stands on either side of the stage and a tennis court at the center. The specificity is stunning, and is only heightened by lighting designer Jen Schriever’s collaboration. Considering this is the story of Billie Jean, the former world number 1 tennis champion, the setting may not be a surprise to audiences as they settle into their seats."
PicksInSix
- Highly Recommended
"...Directed with a sensitivity and purpose by Marc Bruni, the show transitions on a dime from the raw innocence of a driven young talent (a delightful and impulsive Julia Antonelli) to King’s early success to achieving the dream of competing, and winning, at Wimbledon and reaching the precipice of the sport as her generation’s most dominant star."
Chicago Culture Authority
- Recommended
"...Even as someone with more than passing understanding of who Billie Jean King was as both a player and a groundbreaker, I was repeatedly surprised by just how far-reaching her impact was, from fighting for women to be allowed to play tournaments as pros(!), to earn equal prize money to the men, to have a league of their own as founder of the Women’s Tennis Association, and to fiercely advocate for civil rights in sports, including by championing Renée Richards as a women’s player after her transition."
BroadwayWorld
- Recommended
"...Still, tennis enthusiasts will enjoy the action-packed feel, as the play progresses swiftly from one scene to the next. While Wilson Chin’s set clearly depicts a tennis court, oddly there’s no rackets involved. The actors mime tennis play, but never pick up any rackets! I think a more literal representation would have been warranted."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...But Billie Jean doesn't know how to quit! The play's recap of the revolting treatment of women in sports and society is tempered by King's victories both on and off the court. Most exciting are the tennis matches, particularly a doubles match with King's tennis partner, Rosie Casals (Elena Hurst). Moving in crisscross patterns, they whack invisible tennis balls with their palms to the perfectly timed sound of a racket hitting a ball while the tennis court rotates 180-degrees to create a 3D effect."
