Conversations on a Homecoming at Strawdog Theatre

Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended

"...Strawdog Theatre's ideally moody production of "Conversations on a Homecoming" - a naturalistic, drink-as-they-go, 1985 drama by Irish playwright Tom Murphy - stirs up the deep disillusionments of four Irishmen who nurtured a slew of dreams during the 1960s but now are facing their failures in a timeworn pub outside Galway."

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Playwright Tom Murphy's script hews pretty closely to the progress and logic of drunkenness. Like Guinness, it's probably an acquired taste, but it has its good points, particularly Michael Dailey as Tom-once the most promising of the lot, now the picture of disenchantment."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...Despite some inconsistent dialects, the cast understands the rhythm of Murphy’s dialogue and keeps the pace moving. Ed Porter’s Liam strikes a fine balance between overcompensating blowhard and charitable loner, and Jeff Duhigg is essential to lightening the somber mood as Junior, the group’s heaviest drinker. The cast does impressive work capturing the shift of these relationships over time, establishing a familiarity at the start of the play that deteriorates once the booze starts flowing and secrets rise to the surface."

Stage and Cinema - Somewhat Recommended

"...Richly enacted by a flawless seven-person cast, the fight over J.J.'s legacy produces a caustic mix of beer-soaked confessionals and maudlin maunderings steeped in quiet desperation. Whether an audience finds any release in their belligerent blarney depends on how much you care to argue over whether Jesus really committed suicide."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...The players each have their moments as the dense dialogue and the bittersweet arguments permeate. Murphy’s eloquence is impressive and the players play off each other marvelously. You’d be hard pressed to find a better ensemble than the one Jonathan Berry has assembled. The Irish brogues are authentic yet understandable. Lovers of Irish plays will find Tom Murphy’s work engaging and thought provoking. It get us to think about our own lost dreams. It also demonstrates how difficult it can be to go back home after a long absence. After seeing this show, I had a strong urge to stop for a beer but not at the old neighborhood bar from my youth."

Chicago Theatre Review - Somewhat Recommended

"...Perhaps it was too warm in the theater, perhaps I needed a pint from a long day; but whatever the reason, I was not transformed with the actors. I felt like an uncomfortable bystander waiting for them to stop drinking and go home. I never felt the payoff."