Clearing presented by Commission Theatre at Rivendell Theatre

Chicago On Stage - Recommended

"...This is a very funny play; Hyland is adept not only at creating clear and strong characters but at writing humor. But through all of the laughing the play's serious message is what remains, and the audience is a part of it. We laugh at a group of young women who take this world so seriously, but at the same time we are watching as five young, limber actresses in yoga pants bend their bodies in every possible way, and we might find ourselves making the comparisons that Becca does and lalalea fosters: we aren't as good as them because we can't do that. The subversive "ideal" of the yoga culture is unavailable to most of us whose bodies just don't work that way. Clare would tell us that we are only telling ourselves "stories" of the impossibility, that if we stop listening to ourselves we can in fact do it. But that presupposes a need to do it in the first place. Clearing ultimately tells us that not everyone does. And that is a message that a lot of us need to hear."

Picture This Post - Highly Recommended

"...The standout star of this production is that there aren't any. Every actor in this show is extremely generous in how they provide stakes and obstacles for the other performers. If you're looking for comedic and dramatic chops in your theatre experience, this is a must see. There's one particular moment in the play when Dauphin's Clare slowly reads out a famed Madeline Albright quote from her vision board, but misquotes it as coming from Taylor Swift. She says the whole quote and the incorrect speaker twice, and with so much conviction that you could almost believe Taylor Swift did say it."