Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...This is a play of ideas, but it’s not an exercise in didacticism. One of the strengths of Fodor’s script is the way she anchors these characters to everyday experiences. Grimm’s Heidegger, the brilliant man of letters, struggles to find simple words for praising his children, as his wife, Elfride (Cortney McKenna), insists he must. (There is a whiff of “cherchez la femme” in Fodor’s script in its framing of Elfride — who gives Martin a copy of “Mein Kampf” in their first scene together — as the impetus for his embrace of Hitler.)"
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Hannah spends most of the play standing up for Martin, an insane act of moral tight-rope walking, although Gorman doesn't appear to take the same pleasure in baiting her opposition that the real Arendt did. She can make her case as a crusader for the autonomy of the intellect to whoever is listening, but when faced with the accusation that her feelings for the Nazi rector of Freiburg University are occluding her judgement, she comes close to backing down. Grimm's Heidegger is commanding and memorable, but much too much of a scold."
Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended
"...In a Chicago theater season that has produced a generous share of first-rate work, there’s been little that might top the brilliance and torment generated by Christina Gorman and Lawrence Grimm in Kate Fodor’s “Hannah and Martin” at Shattered Globe Theatre."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...Hannah and Martin is as full a world as one stage can contain. In our age of anxiety, Hannah’s forbearance and even Martin’s mistakes can teach the future."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Over the years, we have seen many a story on stage depicting events of World War Two and the “behind the lines” stories that are memorable and compelling. “Hannah and Martin” written by Kate Fodor, is based on the affair between German-Jewish political theorist, Hannah Arendt ( played by the glorious Christina Gorman) and her “teacher” Martin Heidegger ( played to perfection by the always powerful Lawrence Grimm). The story unfolds during the years from 1924 thru 1946 and is done with some flashbacks and forward movement to take us through the war and its residue."
Rescripted - Highly Recommended
"...Debate plays are danger zones where the ploy to frame the “very fine people on both sides” can quickly fall flat and leave the audience with nothing else but the same arguments they are already bombarded with daily. Shattered Globe Theatre’s production of Hannah and Martin successfully presents a debate focused script without turning into trench warfare. The remarkable text by playwright Kate Fodor stands on its own two pillars of cerebral philosophizing and visceral desire. In his 24th collaboration with Shattered Globe Theatre, director Louis Contey leans on these two pillars to guide a willing audience into the gray area of a life or death debate."
Third Coast Review - Recommended
"...Hannah and Martin is a mesmerizing and talky production. If you enjoy listening to smart people debating ideas, then this is the play for you. But if you prefer a lighthearted plot, a diverse cast of characters and stories, then you may want to skip Hannah and Martin. Shattered Globe's program includes a helpful timeline of events."
Chicago Theater and Arts - Highly Recommended
"...This Jeff-Awards recommended show will keep you engaged with a story that goes beyond history and into the heart."
PicksInSix - Recommended
"...Shattered Globe's production of "Hannah and Martin" exemplifies the struggle and painful realities of the inner-war years, the rise of the Hitler Youth movement, its impact on future generations, and the complex nature of relationships caught in the middle. When we view history through the present-day lens and knowledge, it is difficult to understand why anyone would use his influence as Heidegger did."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...How could Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt have been so enthralled by Nazi henchman Martin Heidegger? It's a question that has confounded dramatists for years, baffled playwright Kate Fodor when her play Hannah and Martin debuted in 2004, and is back to puzzle the audiences of Shattered Globe Theatre at Theatre Wit."
NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...The play’s strength is its literate and sophisticated dialogue. However, the script is too often articulate without being dramatically purposeful or psychologically revealing. The question driving the work is whether Arendt will write a letter of support for Heidegger, a man whom she concedes has blood on his hands. This central plot point is not resolved cleanly, producing a note of anticlimax and confusion around Arendt and her young and idealistic assistant, Alice (Jazzma Pryor)."
