Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...Overall, though, “Grey House” (a lousy title, by the way) is a real find if you’re looking for a creepy Halloween date bereft of the cliched, patriarchal nomenclature typically associated therewith. Teens, who always think teens are the smartest and most sentient of humans, will have a blast. You, too."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...And Murray’s fully committed ensemble cast sells every moment, creating a proper atmosphere of dread with a minimum of gore (apart from one gloriously stomach-turning special effect near the play’s end). I didn’t fully buy in to Holloway’s mythmaking on first viewing. But it’s a testament to its potential that I was immediately ready to go back and give “Grey House” a second try."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Directed by Shade Murray, Grey House begins with a mountain car crash. Max (Sadieh Rifai) and Henry (Travis A. Knight) seek refuge in a cabin in the woods. They are obviously in love. Holloway is obviously aware of the familiarity of their plight. As the couple looks around the desolate cabin, they joke that they've "seen this movie." Haha. You think you know what is coming? Guess again, horror snobs. You. Have. No. Idea."
Stage and Cinema - Somewhat Recommended
"...But Murray and his nine-member ensemble certainly drive home the inchoate desperation behind the daunting doings in a grey house from nowhere. Whatever they may think of the strange stuff they do and say, five remarkable young actors fully commit themselves to the loony-tunes overkill of Holloway’s Halloween contender. As always, a formidable Fitzgerald brings immediacy to even the nuttiest pronouncements."
Around The Town Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...True to its horror genre, “Grey House” did not disappoint, especially when it came to the quality of the acting. There were many moments when I found myself swept up by this dysfunctional family and wondering how they might have treated me (as an outsider) had my own car broken down on a country road by their cabin. As with the movie “Misery”, the script can genuinely boast of brutality and gruesomeness. But there are moments when I should have felt more miserable."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Shade Murray has directed an extraordinary world premiere of Levi Holloway's delicious, horrifying new play. It's a wonderful, mysterious drama, full of gore and shocking revelations, and reminiscent of the work of authors Stephen King or Dean Koontz. It's perfect for any adult theatergoer searching for a chilling Halloween entertainment. The production features a gifted company of actors supported by a talented staff of theatre artists. In every well-written ghost story there's the occasional laugh; however, anyone walking down Wells Street is far more apt to hear screams of terror coming from inside A Red Orchid Theatre during this production."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...Grey House is a perfect play for A Red Orchid to produce during the Halloween season, a new show that is designed to unnerve even the most stoic of audience members. It’s not grotesque (mostly) in its scare tactics, but it draws us in until we are feeling the same unsettling fear that nothing here is really what it seems to be. Like all great spooky stories, this one doesn’t go for the jugular right away; rather, it is content to worm its way slowly past our defenses. At times, it feels very confusing; at others, it might be almost adorable if the children were not so singularly (and collectively) peculiar."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...Ensemble member Levi Holloway has crafted a tightly woven story of truth and family and pain. The cast adeptly draws the audience into the mysteries of the house, giving glimpses of its true nature but leaving plenty to chew on at the end. A Red Orchid offers a dark, twisting tangle of secrets--and just a little glimmer of hope."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...What makes “Grey House” unnerving is the fact that it isn’t really scary, especially compared to the lengths and means of present day horror films. It doesn’t have to be scary. The grey area itself is scary. The nether in which we live between our past and future, our sins and good deeds, and all that comes with those difficult dichotomies is where the fright lives."
