Exit Strategy Reviews
Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
"...With the help of director Gus Menary, Holter has forged a riveting 90 minutes, and I do not employ that overused adjective lightly here. I could see one seemingly overwhelmed woman out of the corner of my eye on Friday night. She was sitting in the front row - a teacher, perhaps - and her emotions (tears, laughter, shock, resignation) seemed to run the entire potential gamut, disinterest excepted. In many ways, her manifest feelings were the reflection of everything the fictional teachers were going through on the stage."
Chicago Reader- Somewhat Recommended
"...Certain arguments come out of nowhere, contrived simply to give the impression that the ante's been upped. And the big last-minute revelation turns out to be a prosaic piece of information that the characters might've and should've known from the start-except that knowing it would've short-circuited the script. It's hard to stay annoyed, though, given that Holter's tactics yield opportunities for some solid work by a crack seven-member ensemble."
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
"...This show boasts a superb cast, HB Ward is Arnold, a bitter teacher who believes Ricky is doomed to fail, and is enraged by the very concept of hope. Sadie (Lucy Sandy) Jania (Paloma Nozicka) and Luce (Danny Martinez) all occupy the middle ground, they care deeply about the kids under their care but are wary of their hearts getting broken."
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
"...Gus Menary’s smartly paced production hugs the comic and tragic curves in Holter’s tightly packed plot, and his appealing ensemble sells it with style. Ward is especially good as a grizzled, embittered longtime faculty member who’s lost his love for everything. And Whalen is terrific as the play’s nebbishy heart, masterfully maneuvering through Holter’s parentheticals and administrivial interjections before finding passion and confidence—and then finding they may not be enough for the job."
Theatre By Numbers- Highly Recommended
"...Seldom does realism seem so real. Really, reality seldom seems as real as what is going on in the hour and forty-five minutes that make up this play. One scene breaks from the outright realism, and we take a momentary trip into Magical Realism. It's the one moment that took me out of the play for the briefest of seconds. Either Arnold is hallucinating, or he is visited by the spirit of a deceased friend who used to teach at the school, too. The fact that this isn't clear, and that the technical aspects of the performance don't help to define the situation, caused me to actively ponder what was intended, which distracted from the otherwise perfect show."
Chicago Theatre Review- Highly Recommended
"...Caged in by the artfully dingy faculty lounge (created by John Holt) and maddened by Clair Sangster's devilish lighting (she can do things you could not believe with fluorescence tubes) Holter's rat race of would be heroes clash and collide to make a bitingly funny drama. In gestures tiny and epic, the masters of Tumbeldon battle against their own sorrows and face the pain of giving up the good fight, which is almost as bad as the pain of continuing it."
The Fourth Walsh- Recommended
"...Still, EXIT STRATEGY is an insightful, humorous, and poignant look into the lives of CPS teachers. It put the current school closings into an uncomfortable reality for me. The play should be a required lesson for the city. Seeing it will build empathy for the noble people behind the school walls."
Splash Magazine- Highly Recommended
"...A lot of credit goes to director Gus Menary who does well in developing what is really an insightful and sharp script. Maybe the intensity level ran a little too high at times (and at one and three-fourths an hour it probably could have used an intermission). But this is not a production that cheapens the outcome (which, while predictable, is still moving in its execution). This production truly deserves to be viewed by anyone that values education. For that matter, it is also recommended for anyone who has made up their mind about which side they stand on (this play will make you think). For that reason I hope Jackalope Theatre Company reserves a seat for the mayor."