Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...Many of the performances are very touching - Parris, for example, works with a rich subtext, expressing in many lovely ways the things that his character does not get to say. The play is only 75 minutes, so much goes unsaid, contributing to my sense of this piece as a rich and poignant character study, a frequently profound observation of life as it is lived by ordinary Americans, people who are rewriting some of the rules without necessarily having the language to articulate their own radicalism."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Nussbaum is just perfect for this role, and perfect in it. Most remarkable is that each time Rudy awakens from temporary slumber, you can somehow tell before he evens speaks whether his cognition is clear or cloudy. As the oldest working stage actor in America, Nussbaum's presence is inspiring, but his presence combined with the quality of his acting artistry - always simultaneously straightforward but specific - is positively life-affirming."
Daily Herald - Somewhat Recommended
"...Running at just 70 minutes with no intermission, "Curve of Departure" is mostly setup. The play feels more like the pilot episode of a TV series rather than a satisfying and self-contained work."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Great acting and well-crafted writing are not enough, though. The play feels longer than its 80 minutes. Bonds's characters are relatable, as are all their myriad moments of quiet and not-so-quiet desperation, but in the end she and Jones and company leave us cold and unsatisfied."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...This new play, in its regional premiere, puts a lot on the table-probably too much for an 80-minute work-but author Rachel Bonds manipulates it with such warmth, humor and humanity that you don't notice. Perhaps wisely, she doesn't attempt to fully-resolve the issues of family, relationship and choice she raises, but she reveals her four characters to us with skillful directness with which we can empathize."
Chicago On the Aisle - Recommended
"...Actor Mike Nussbaum will turn 95 in December (no, that is not a typo), and he is now delivering such a towering performance in the Northlight Theatre production of Rachel Bonds’ play, “Curve of Departure,” that you might easily be persuaded he is simply a supremely talented actor impersonating an old man."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...Director BJ Jones who meticulously craft every scene to the craziness of each characters life, perfectly revealing the subtleties of an emotional build-up where reliving the past can help or hinder great steps towards their future. Jones, a two-time Joseph Jefferson Award Winning actor, and a three-time nominated director has directed a plethora of top-notch plays and his work in Curve of Departure, may not get the same accolades as some of his notable plays; but this play will definitely be high on the list."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...One of the great things about theater in our city is that we have Mike Nussbaum on our stages. Nussbaum is the oldest Equity actor on any stage and at 94 is as sharp as attack. He may be shorter than he was years ago( but aren't we all?), but this man is a superior performer. If you have never been witness to him on a stage, I suggest that you make it a point to do so! The current production in which you can do so is "Curve of Departure". an 80 minute gem written by Rachel Bonds that tells us the story of a "special" family gathering. Sharply directed by BJ Jones, the entire story takes place in a motel room in Santa Fe, New Mexico ( nicely designed by Lauren Nigri). The family is here to attend the funeral of a "family member", who they all loved, but none liked."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Rachel Bonds' candidly written, unsentimental one-act rewards audiences with a story with which everyone can relate. BJ Jones' has crafted a production that will ring true with every theatergoer. In a small motel room, Bonds has given us a microcosm of what we wish this country could be: a diverse group of people of varying ages, who all love and respect each other, despite their problems and differences. It's a play about caring, and it's about what we do for family."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Recommended
"...“Curve of Departure” (the meaning of the title eludes me) is a family drama that could profit from telling us more about the negative effect the deceased Cyrus had on his father, wife, and son. That effect is a pivot point in the narrative. Rudy says that Cyrus failed him and he failed Cyrus, but how? More attention to Cyrus’s dysfunctional legacy would expand the play’s narrative impact, but this is the way Bonds chooses to tell her story. Maybe she could have said more, but what she does say gives audiences an involving, if condensed, viewing experience."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...Rachel Bonds' Curve of Departure is a little gem of a play. Set in a New Mexico hotel room where a "ragtag little group of humans" has gathered for the funeral of a man each of them loved at one point but has reason to hate, the play is a brief glimpse into what human beings can be when they are at their best."
PicksInSix - Highly Recommended
"...In the end, the 94 year-old Nussbaum, Equity's oldest actor, appears to be just getting started. There is no finer way to honor his contributions, and celebrate his art, than to spend some enjoyable time with this extraordinary human being and the superb cast of "Curve of Departure.""
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...What a script! From this writer’s viewpoint, the way in which playwright Rachel Bonds has packed so much story into so little time with a flow akin to a gentle stream is breathtaking. The superlative performances and expert direction by BJ Jones certainly give her script their due. This New York born and bred writer tips hat and bows to small Tennessee town bred Bonds for capturing the New Yorkers’ zeitgeist and parochialism with granular accuracy."
NewCity Chicago - Not Recommended
"...Challenged to come up with a can’t-miss bestseller title, a publisher supposedly responded, “Lincoln’s Doctor’s Dog,” thus bringing together America’s favorite historical personage, profession and pet. Rachel Bonds’ “Curve of Departure” is in the same mercenary spirit, an assemblage of test-marketed theatrical devices—cute curmudgeon, child in need, family sparring and reconciliation—that lacks just one thing: a plausible, unifying, engaging plotline."
