Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...I recognize that, for regular theatergoers and readers, the information that Nussbaum is still among this city's most vital, skilled and moving actors is not news. I recognize further that many people who are close to 90 remain physically vital and in tiptop mental shape, and that to express any special admiration for that feat risks the whiff of condescension. Well, to heck with that. What Nussbaum is doing here — scurrying up stairs, running around the stage, roaring, murmuring, kvetching, quietly delivering Simon's famous one-liners with exquisite comic timing — is simply remarkable. If it were happening on Broadway, it would be on front pages. If it were happening on-screen, there would be tributes at Cannes. So it's happening in Oakbrook Terrace. And that's perhaps why it's so darn fine and so darn real."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Happily, Chicago audiences now can savor director David New’s splendid production of the drama at the Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace Theatre. Brought to life by a slew of first-rate performers — most notably the masterful Mike Nussbaum, a forever young 87-year-old actor who by all rights should be dubbed a national treasure — this handsome revival is a reminder of just what a remarkable writer Simon can be. In fact, the playwright’s ability to shift from scenes of the most profound emotional pain to others filled with giddy, self-mocking humor is nothing short of breathtaking."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Simon's account of two brothers determined to get a foothold in the early days of television is the weakest piece of an autobiographical trilogy that also includes Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues, and its flaws have never seemed so apparent. David New's paint-by-numbers production lacks fire. We never feel in our guts how desperate the brothers are to break out of their lower-middle-class life, or how trapped their parents and grandparents feel. Without that yearning for something better, the show just creeps along."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...while this is Eugene’s story, the strength of director David New’s production lies with his casting, especially veteran Mike Nussbaum as Ben. Eugene understands that his grandfather is his best comic inspiration, a fact not lost on the audience. Simon wrote this character with a natural warmth and humor, and Nussbaum, being a master of impeccable comic timing, tosses off one-liners one minute and then impales his prey the next with a mere look. His character elicits the biggest laughs and is the main reason for enjoying this charming production."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...There’s a similarly jolting quality to this production. Polski’s braying, bumptious Eugene has many lines but only one line reading; he and Karasev, as Stanley, tend to barrel through their scenes without holding for laughs. Richard McWilliams is sorely miscast as Jack; a folksy Southern twang, both vocal and behavioral, keeps peeking through his portrayal of a lifelong Brooklyn Jew. At least Roman, reprising a role she’s previously played at Wisconsin’s Peninsula Players, makes the most of Kate’s gorgeously rendered second-act monologue, recounting the long-ago night she danced with a movie star—a brush with glamor recalled with relish and a touch of sadness."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...This is both a quite funny show and a fine family drama with memorable and fully developed characters that we can relate to and sympathize with. Broadway Bound is a mirror into a time when families move from the tough times of the Depression and War Era to the emerging fast-paced world of the prosperous 1950-60′s. The writing is superb, witty and hilarious; the acting is fabulous. Kudos to Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre for mounting one of Neil Simon’s best plays."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...This is a work that cut very close to its author's heart and could be thought of as Simon's personal "Long Days Journey into Night," without the morphine. DLO offers a very credible account of it that still never quite touched the nerve as prior productions of the play have for me. Simon dealt head on with both his own professional and creative aspirations and his parents' crumbling marriage. If "Broadway Bound" never reaches the hilarity level of either "Brighton Beach Memoirs" or "Biloxi Blues," it may be Simon at his most personal and unguarded self. "Learning about yourself is a very dangerous thing," as Eugene tells us. Indeed, it is."
Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended
"...The most cunning work is Chicago legend Mike Nussbaum‘s foxy performance as the sardonic, all too literal, grandfather, a man who can tell a joke without getting it. No doubt this boiler-plated curmudgeon is the hardest audience Eugene ever played to–and the best discipline possible for a future king of Broadway."
