Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...But this is Lola’s play, and Whiteside’s deeply moving performance is so multi-layered and, frankly, courageous as to more than compensate. I’d certainly stack its vulnerability, and also its optimism, against any other Inge interpretation I’ve seen over the years and it will linger long after you head back out onto Lincoln Avenue."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...It's been a minute since I’ve seen Gwendolyn Whiteside, the artistic director of American Blues Theater (ABT), onstage at her own company. Understandably, she’s been a little busy the last few years getting the company situated in their new home. But it’s been worth the wait to see her in ABT’s current revival of William Inge’s Come Back, Little Sheba, directed by Elyse Dolan."
Stage and Cinema
- Highly Recommended
"...It may be the season of love, but the zeitgeist in Chicago theatre seems to be the season of miserable couplings. There's Strindberg at Steppenwolf and Court; Ibsen at Remy Bumppo; even Goodman's delightful Holiday, beneath all that witty banter, paints a grim portrait of marriage and courtship between the classes. But none of those unhappy pairings can even approach the level of marital misery that envelops Doc and Lola Delaney in William Inge's Come Back, Little Sheba, now on stage at American Blues Theater."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...ABT’s production, in their intimate Studio, smoothly directed by Elyse Dolan, is a powerful 90 minutes of theater. The set (Shayna Patel) is one where we see the living room and kitchen area, as well as the back yard and many of the audience members are seated in couches and Chairs surrounding the stage area."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Recommended
"...The excellent cast is led by two etremely talented ensemble members. As Doc, Philip Earl Johnson, (ON CLOVER ROAD; THE COLUMNIST, both at American Blues; AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE, at the Goodman) is at times both strong and needy. And as Lola, Gwendolyn Whiteside (ON CLOVER ROAD; IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, both at American Blues), is magnificent, sad and vulnerable. Director Elyse Dolan is certainly blessed to have such two incredibly talented veteran actors to guide and tell William Inge’s story. In supporting roles,"
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...When "off-loop" Chicago theater hits on all cylinders, it packs an artistic punch that transcends limited budgets and reminds you why this city's small stages matter. Come Back, Little Sheba, currently running at the American Blues Theater, is one of those productions."
PicksInSix
- Recommended
"...There is a fascinating little piece of trivia connected with the lead character Lola in William Inge's breakthrough classic "Come Back Little Sheba" now playing in a tight, immersive production at American Blues Theater's studio space through March 22. Directed in subtle, loving strokes by Associate Artistic Director Elyse Dolan, the play itself was a landmark in its frank portrayal of alcoholism and many of the features of how people deal with it. Film buffs, of course, recall the great 1952 version with Shirley Booth and Burt Lancaster."
Allie and the After Party
- Recommended
"...Sitting audience members literally on the set, American Blues puts the audience in the middle of the action and without barriers creating an intimate experience as we peer into the Delaney household. Handling heavy topics with powerful performances, we see how this husband and wife's dynamic came to be through the catalyst of a young woman staying with them."
NewCity Chicago
- Recommended
"...ABT’s claustrophobically intense and uninterrupted production, while not perfect, delivers that message with force and feeling."
