By the Way, Meet Vera Stark Reviews

Chicago Sun Times - Recommended

"...With the “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark,” two-time Pulitzer-winning playwright Lynn Nottage uses Harris’ story as the inspiration for a production that walks a fine line between screwball comedy, skewer-sharp satire and incisive reflection on racism and stereotyping in Tinseltown."

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...Nottage is using the framework of show business to critique show business, while also creating a love letter of sorts to the undersung and unsung Black supporting players. As Nottage told the Readerʼs Aimee Levitt in 2013 during the Goodman production, "They were performers in vaudeville and on Broadway who were immensely talented. They found that if they wanted to survive, they would put on the mask and be slaves and maids. Those weren't necessarily the roles they were hoping to perform when they arrived.""

Around The Town Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"... I must tell you that I was pretty excited to see Lynn Nottage’s “By The Way, Meet Vera Stark” last night. This satirical look at the film industry dealing with the racial issue of the industry had an interesting story to tell. The story takes place in the 1930’s when there were very few parts for people of color except as servants and perhaps “bad guys”. Directed by Risha Tenae this play is a combination of theater and film and was a lot longer than anticipated."

Chicago Theatre Review - Somewhat Recommended

"...I understand and appreciate the hardships endured by African-American artists during the Depression Era. I could certainly see how difficult it was for a minority actor to get ahead. But I already was aware of this dilemma. There was nothing new in this play. It’s a near miss, for me. The African-American performer would practically have to sell his or her soul in order to achieve status in Show Business. I’m sorry to say that, except for a few instances, this production of one of Lynn Nottage’s lesser-known plays just didn’t entertain or further enlighten this audience member."

Third Coast Review - Somewhat Recommended

"...Playwright Lynn Nottage is known for revealing truths about the lives of the Black diaspora. Her stories are like ripping the bandage off a wound so that it can shock, be acknowledged, and maybe spark curiosity. By The Way, Meet Vera Stark gazes with a gimlet eye behind the scenes of the movie industry and Black strivers during the "Golden Age of Hollywood." The Artistic Home Ensemble is the latest to take on one of Nottage's more comic plays. They succeed in some ways, and while I found it funny, I also found it to be uneven for something meant to be a whiplash satire."

MaraTapp.org - Recommended

"...By the Way, Meet Vera Stark is a very funny but bittersweet play - emphasis on bitter - about the lengths to which Blacks had to go in 1930s Hollywood films to keep their dignity and succeed. It's hard to imagine much humor could be found in the continuous humiliation of having to hide your intelligence and portray a shuffling slave, "yes-ma'am" maid or deferential driver but Playwright Lynn Nottage mixes screwball comedy with searing satire and manages to make us laugh even as we witness the damage done by racism."