Conviction Reviews

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...The script's mirror structure highlights the Inquisition's contemporary relevance in unexpected ways, but some emotional intensity is sacrificed in the attempt to shoehorn two narratives into a 75-minute play. Though Ami Dayan excels in his solo performance, redemption comes a little too easily and seemingly unearned."

Windy City Times - Highly Recommended

"...Generating empathy for a 15th-century theological argument is a hefty task for a single actor, even assisted by a text both incisive and evocative in its imagery, but under the direction of Kevin Hart, Ami Dayan shifts effortlessly between his various roles—chiefly, the smug archivo official and the vulnerable Andrés—to paint a very human picture of this humble martyr's excruciation and ecstasy. His portrayal is enhanced by Jon Sousa and Yossi Green's score of Spanish guitar incidental music, its complex harmonies suggesting inner turmoil as intense as the serenity invoked by the orderly script of Fr. Andrés journal projected on the spartan stage."

Centerstage - Somewhat Recommended

"...Conviction,” a one man show presented by Maya Productions, has a long pedigree: it’s a translation of a play by Oren Neeman based on a novel by Ben Nachum. I can’t help but feel something has been lost in the process of adaptation. The production’s single actor, Ami Dayan, gives a very admirable dual performance but can’t quite anchor a wobbly script that can’t quite do justice to its own story."

Chicago Theater Beat - Somewhat Recommended

"...Despite Dayan’s powerful performance, however, the show tends to drag at points. Particularly in the beginning, the action is slow moving and dense. As Conviction progresses the action does begin to pick up the pace as Dayan settles into the character of Gonzáles, and becomes more captivating, moving the action along."