Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...I’d suggest focusing a bit more on McDaniel herself: that’s the area of the play most underdeveloped at this time. In this first full production, Williams has in Lott-Rogers, a performer I suspect could range as deep at the writer wants to go."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Nominated as best supporting actress for her role in "Gone With the Wind," the blockbuster film of 1939, McDaniel made history. But it came at a tremendous personal cost. LaDarrion Williams' "The Boulevard of Bold Dreams," now receiving a powerhouse, world-premiere staging at TimeLine Theatre, imagines McDaniel at a pivotal moment in her life, just hours before the Oscars. As she stops at a cocktail lounge to collect her thoughts, she ponders the existential question that poet Langston Hughes would sear into a nation's consciousness a decade later: What happens to a dream deferred?"
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Williams himself is a son of Alabama who wrote this play while living in his car. (He and Stampley also collaborated on a couple of original songs we hear in the show.) Boulevard of Bold Dreams taps into both the larger-than-life visions offered on the silver screen, and an astringent view of what it takes to get up there without losing everything that makes you who you are in the first place. By the time we see a video montage (created by Rasean Davonté Johnson) of all the Black women who followed McDaniel into the Oscar spotlight, it’s easy to feel both fresh appreciation for McDaniel’s achievement and sorrowful anger for those who were denied even the limited opportunities she received."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...The World Premiere of Boulevard of Bold Dreams at Timeline Theater gives us a glimpse of the pivotal night at the Oscars hours before it begins at the Ambassador Hotel. The play opens with bartender Arthur Brooks (Charles Andrew Gardner) setting up the hotel bar room for the guest coming after the ceremonies. Arthur, an aspiring movie producer, grabs a glass that he believes looks like a trophy and accepts his imaginary award — and Dottie Hudson (Mildred Marie Langford), Arthur's childhood friend who followed him to Hollywood, enters the room. She laughs at Arthur for being the constant dreamer and tries to reel him into the realization that his dream of making it in Hollywood is not for the black man."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Sharpley directed by Malkia Stampley, this is a look at history and while we are not sure of its accuracy, based on what I have read ( I was to young to watch back then), it seems rights. In this sterling productions, they do show us the actual video of her acceptance speech!"
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...TimeLine's latest offering is a fictional musing on what might possibly have occurred at Hollywood's swanky Ambassador Hotel the evening of the 1940 Academy Awards. Brilliant new playwright LaDarrion Williams brings this glitzy era to life, while setting the story straight about the ill treatment that Hattie McDaniels, one of the finest film actresses of the early-to-mid twentieth century, had to endure. With sincerity and straightforwardness, this production, like TimeLine's "Campaigns, Inc" and "Trouble in Mind," continues to explore the intersection of politics, race and the entertainment business. It's a magnificent production of a thought-provoking new play that really is a must-see, particularly during a month that honors Black History."
Buzznews.net - Highly Recommended
"...Sometimes a deceivingly "small" story can pack a wallop, and that is the case with LaDarrion Williams' 'Boulevard of Bold Dreams,' premiering at TimeLine Theatre before it moves on to Boston."
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...BOULEVARD OF BOLD DREAMS is a behind-the-curtain look at the Golden Age of Hollywood. Racism permeated the picture show industry and perpetuated stereotypes of black people. The story is engaging as the seedy side of the prestigious award show night is revealed. The performances are outstanding! Langford, Gardener and Lott-Rogers deliver hope and hopelessness with true grit. Although the show is very enjoyable, the scene transitions could have been smoother and quicker."
Life and Times - Highly Recommended
"...Among the many brilliant aspects of this world premiere of Boulevard of Bold Dreams involves the details Langford puts in to how her character changes as she drinks, and how openly she drinks to match different situations. These aspects are extremely well executed."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...Astounding performances, heartfelt writing, and gorgeous design make Williams' world premiere a story to remember - particularly for those dreamers in the audience. Boulevard of Dreams is not only a look back at history, but also an invitation to imagine what is to come."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Lott-Rogers' poised yet deeply human McDaniel is everything I ever thought her to be. In Williams' script, McDaniel finally gets her say on a complicated legacy. We see firsthand how her work affects two vastly different artists in Dottie and Arthur. The show makes clear that no one person can be the speaker for all people because we can't all see things from the same perspective. She gets to give the speech she should have been able to give all those decades ago. But, perhaps most importantly of all, we get to witness a moment with her that brings the whole show to an emotional climax. TimeLine's work once again aptly demonstrates that we cannot reinvent history, though what it means to us can always be reinvigorated."