Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...Yew's direction really kicks in during one powerful scene around the stove although, in general, I wish the set had been reordered to foreground the cooking more; it's such a powerful, sensual part of this writing and it deserves to be front and center. The piece was, I think, written before "The Bear" became a hit but that's one of its lessons for dramas set in restaurant kitchens. That and a slate of characters who rarely are or do what you might think."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Initially slated for a run in 2020 and canceled by COVID, "Dhaba on Devon" is finally getting its world premiere at Glencoe's Writers Theatre in partnership with TimeLine Theatre. Directed by Chay Yew, it's a sprawling, multigenerational story of diaspora and maintaining cultural tradition. It unfolds over the clattering trays and hissing burners in the kitchen of the Devon Canteen, a family-owned Sindhi restaurant on a stretch of Devon Avenue known for decades as Little India."
Daily Herald
- Recommended
"...Immigrants and children of immigrants may well recognize themselves in Madhuri Shekar's pandemic-delayed "Dhaba on Devon Avenue," premiering at Writers Theatre under Chay Yew's thoughtful, low-key direction and in collaboration with Chicago's TimeLine Theatre."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...There's also the familiar storyline of the sibling who stays and the one who leaves, but the conflicts between the sisters aren't as foregrounded as the love and concern they have for their father. Pandya and Daire excel as women who understand each other, but who also have to get used to being around each other again."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...My experience with the Avenue is what perked my interest in the production at Writers Theatre co-produced with Timeline Theatre ( who always has their backstory, and that is why I did mine). "Dhaba On Devon Avenue" written by Madhuri Shekar, about a restaurant on Devon called Dhaba Canteen, a place that has charmed the community for years and years. It's owner chef ,Neeraj (an incredible performance by Anish Jethmalni), who has Parkinson's and is slowly losing his sense of taste and smell , is struggling to keep afloat. He has two daughters, Sindhu ( deftly handled by Arya Daire) with whom he has lost contact, and Rita ( played to perfection by Tina Munoz Pandya) who he has working with him."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Madhuri Shekar’s latest play, beautifully Directed by Chay Yew, touches our hearts with its focus on family. Sure, this may be a group of first- and second-generation South Asians, all of different generations, goals and temperaments, but it will ring true with every audience member. DHABA ON DEVON AVENUE is the theatrical version of a delicious helping of Comfort Food."
Buzz Center Stage
- Recommended
"...While the dramatic force plays between father Nareej and daughter Rita, it is the supporting roles that provide color and flair to "Dhaba on Devon Avenue." Enter Neeraj's daughter Sindhu (Arja Daire is terrific), an emancipated married professional living the upper middle class life in Seattle. She tries to connect with her dad, and could advise him well, if Neeraj would only give her the chance. He won't."
Chicago Theater and Arts
- Recommended
"..."Dhaba On Devon Avenue" by Madhuri Shekar, a world premiere by Writers Theatre in Glencoe, co-produced by Timeline Theatre, is about that fight. The restaurant, Dhaba Canteen, has been a neighborhood spot for years but now can't refinance after business has fallen off."
Evanston Roundtable
- Highly Recommended
"...Dhaba on Devon Avenue is powerful because it captures the essence of conflicts in a particular immigrant family changing as the generations grow into their new cultures but it also elicits similar, personal thoughts in the audience as they see these family dynamics."
