Defacing Michael Jackson presented by Flying Elephant Productions at Stage 773

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Michael Jackson is a great metaphor for the many problems that continue to plague this country: a man born black, struggling with all his being to transcend race, gender, class, and perhaps even any recognizable human form. Squire has no solution for this quandary-either Jackson's or ours-but ably presents five young people trying their best to find a measure of grace in a society temperamentally unsuited to it."

Windy City Times - Recommended

"...As the mural takes shape over the course of the show, it's clear that it can't cover up the growing problems in a town that, by 2004, had the highest violent crime rate of any U.S. city. The hope that Jackson's success represents for the kids will soon be overshadowed by AIDS and crack and the ceaseless grind of racial oppression. But Squire also reminds us of the sheer joy amid the heartbreaks of finding—for one brief point in time—people who love what you love and want to rock with you."

Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Recommended

"...Defacing Michael Jackson is a delightful play, and anyone that loves Michael will enjoy the acting and the music. There are a few scenes that added little value to the play and writer Squire and Director Alexis J. Roston could have been eliminated, like the "You so ugly" dialogue to make this two hour play a little shorter; however, it was entertaining to reminisce over life in the 80's."

Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended

"...While sometimes a bit shocking in its story and thematic material, Aurin Squire’s comedy nicely melds humor, teenage trauma and adolescent angst with important ideas about racial relations and growing up. Although the play is set in the mid-1980s, the story and its themes are, unfortunately, still topical in the 21st century. In only its second production, this fledgling theatre company, Flying Elephant Productions, shows great promise with its mission to present new works that are dynamic, impassioned and prone to fly. Summer entertainment takes wing, in “Black or White.”"

TotalTheater - Highly Recommended

"...The result is an insightful observation on the complex roots of social disenfrancisement-it takes a village to raise or reject a child-deserving of consideration by theater companies whose audiences are ready to see beyond the stereotypes and sound bytes."

Picture This Post - Recommended

"...See “Defacing” for the humor. See “Defacing” for a barometer of our progress in race relations. You’ll see the promise of a Michael Jackson whose best-selling “Thriller” was the zenith of a career; a symbol of hope for unity in a black and white world."