Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...The music, of course, was the best of Billie ("A beat behind, but always right on time," quips one musician). And Stokes, who easily commands the stage in this star turn, soars in all the classics: "Good Morning, Heartache," "What a Little Moonlight Can Do," "My Man," "All of Me," "Solitude," "God Bless the Child," "No Regrets" and more. A deeper rendering of "Strange Fruit" will surely come as the run progresses."
SouthtownStar
- Highly Recommended
"...Written and directed by Jackie Taylor, it is one of the best presentations in a series of exceptional biographies of musical greats by the theater troupe."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Regrettably, Taylor also gives the jazz legend competing inner voices (as annoying to the audience as they are to her) and relies on monologue more than conflict-filled scenes to capture the relationships between Holiday and others. This decision puts a burden on Vikki Omega Stokes, whose tight-voiced interpretation of Holiday can be grating."
Windy City Times
- Recommended
"...What makes Don’t Shed a Tear worthwhile is Stokes’ uncanny vocal resemblance to Holiday. The high, unforgettable voice—part growl, part flute and suffused with a despair as powerful as oceans—is all unleashed in Stokes’ powerful interpretations of classics including Good Morning Heartache, Ain’t Nobody’s Business and the searing Strange Fruit. Backed by musical director Jimmy Tillman’s sterling ensemble, the sound of the show is extraordinary."
Time Out Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...There are elements in nature that Man, for all his technology and material resources, cannot replicate. Billie Holiday’s voice is one of them. In order to approximate Lady Day, the gifted singer Vikki Stokes puts on a squawk, carefully drags behind a beat or three and bends her notes like they were pipe cleaners."
ChicagoCritic
- Highly Recommended
"...Don’t Shed A Tear is a heart wrenching glimpse into the dark, pain-filled life of perhaps the greatest jazz singer of her era. At $40 per ticket, this show is a bargain. You’d be hard pressed to find a more energetic, tuneful show than this one. Vikki Stokes’ vocals are pure joy. The blues never sound so aching. Jazz and blues lovers will be enchanted with this show. Billie Holiday will not be forgotten."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...Stokes is quite literally unforgettable, tossing off Billie's defiance and gutter mouth with confidence and command. This is Lady Day the way she was, uncensored and unconcerned with politeness or propriety, take her or leave her. It is to both Stokes' and Taylor's credit that we see a full picture of a flawed and fascinating woman who lived her life on her own terms without apology."
