Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"..."Highway Patrol" is the work of an artistically sophisticated team and, although this feels like a work in progress, Laffrey's digital visuals are highly arresting and little works of art in themselves. It should also be clear by now that this is a very meta experience, something Jones, who herself was a star as Coach Beiste on "Glee," also embraces to her great credit. Young Molony stands his ground, too."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Depicting a compelling, if now familiar, true story about the blurring of fact and fiction in social media, the artfully produced new play "Highway Patrol" at the Goodman Theatre asks a number of intriguing questions: What do we do with intense, caring emotions when we discover they stem from falsehoods? Does that make them less "real?" Can they, perhaps, be redeemed?"
Daily Herald - Recommended
"...The acting is exceptional. Donahue’s direction is confidant with a nice sense of theatricality, evidenced in part by the artfully staged reveal that concludes the first act. And set designer Laffrey’s realistic-looking digital images make an ideal backdrop for a tale animated by illusion."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...Delany, who first achieved fame with the television drama China Beach in the late 80s, performs this piece, derived from a monthslong series of online exchanges she had, starting in late 2012, with a young boy named Camden. He lives in Costa Rica with his brother, a former Marine now working security for the country’s president, and his grandparents. He’s also on his second heart transplant, which has left him with a series of other serious health issues."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...We missed the opening press night for this production, and with so many plays coming within the next few weeks, I thought about missing Highway Patrol, but I'm sure glad I decided to see it. Dana Delany, known for her roles in China Beach, Body of Proof, and one of my favorite movies, Tombstone, shared a captivating, frightening, and suspenseful true story about a person who sets up a fake online identity as a young boy from Costa Rica, who was battling health issues with his second heart transplant, Cam. She learned about Cam from her friend while doing promotional work for her television show. After speaking to Cam once, she had a continuous text communication relationship with him for years on a new online platform called Twitter."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The play, now on the stage at The Albert Theatre of The Goodman Theatre, is a thriller with some very comic touches that is made up of hundreds of her personal tweets and direct messages that were received over many years. The concept was created by Delany herself along with Silverman and Dane Laffrey and Mike Donahue. The production is directed by Donahue and stars Delany as herself. Yes, this is her story and having her tell it makes it a very special night of theater."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"..."Highway Patrol" is truly stunning. It gently draws theatergoers into the story, reassures them that all is well with these characters, and then unexpectedly pulls the rug out from under their feet. Seldom has a play created the wild world of the internet and, more specifically, social media, with such power and passion. The final ten minutes of the script could easily be eliminated and the play would be even stronger for the editing. It's the heartfelt story about the relationship between Ms. Delany, Cam and Nan that the audience will remember, long after the final curtain."
Buzznews.net - Highly Recommended
"...Dana Delaney is absolutely outstanding in this production, as is the entire cast. I highly recommend this funny, touching, and modern play for audiences of all ages."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...The premise for HIGHWAY PATROL is fascinating. It's like a magazine's celebrities-are-just-like-you feature. Delany 'tells all' about getting pulled into the online relational vortex. Here's where the play doesn't quite live up to its 'thriller hype'... If Delany's in-real-life-online experience had been a crazy fiasco, we would have already read about it on the internet. Still, HIGHWAY PATROL is unique and insightful storytelling."
Third Coast Review - Recommended
"...Written by Jen Silverman, this world premiere is full of twists and turns. The entire play takes the audience through nine years of emails and tweets from Delany’s archives, allowing us to see just how far this online relationship developed. Rarely do I find myself genuinely unsure of where a story may go, and based on the audible gasps from the audience, it was clear I was not alone. Performed by Delany herself, every twist is filled with an emotional authenticity—particularly in the moments we see just how much she allowed herself to care for Cam’s well-being."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...Jen Silverman's "Highway Patrol" is many things at once. The play is compiled from actual tweets between the actress Dana Delany (who plays herself in this production) and a fan who befriended her online while Delany-who played a nurse in TV's "China Beach" and a doctor in "Body of Proof"-grew to care more and more about this dying 13-year-old boy. The show is both literal and expressionistic: we see Delany, for the most part, in realistic locations both at home and at work, but the boy, Cam, only speaks to her from within a sharply defined spotlight. As it unfolds before us, part in "real time" and part with Delany looking back and remembering, we also grow more and more aware of the ways in which this risky, experimental script exposes her vulnerability and, even as we are amazed (like her) at the way this young fan thinks and writes to her, her reactions to him show a side of the TV star we rarely see. And I, at least, was seriously impressed by her willingness to share so openly."
PicksInSix - Highly Recommended
"...“Highway Patrol,” which opened Tuesday night at Goodman, is based on Delany’s digital archive of her experience in text messages that have been curated by playwright Jen Silverman. Delany, a superbly engaging central star who has an arresting presence on stage throughout the play, is narrative storyteller. The show—created by Delany, Silverman, director Mike Donohue and scenic designer Dane Laffrey—moves with precision over the course of two-acts, retelling a captivating story that, at times, defies belief except that at every turn we know this all happened. Delany gives a stunningly poised performance, as if she were recounting these events in a more intimate setting than Goodman’s 856-seat Albert that was filled to capacity."
Chicago Culture Authority - Highly Recommended
"...The first act of Highway Patrol engages in some clever cat-and-mouse storytelling, but it’s clear from jump that Dana Delany got catfished back in the social media Wild West days of 2012. In part that’s because we realize even before curtain there’d be no reason to turn the story into a play without that inherent drama. The real question, the one that Delany and her collaborators use to craft a highly suspenseful, hugely entertaining evening at the theater, is: why?"
Splash Magazine - Somewhat Recommended
"...Kudos, however, are due to Delaney for her interpersonal bravery in daring to reveal and dramatize her life, risky as that can be for someone who was the subject of a years long, intricate and very private scam. She clearly cared deeply and gave overwhelming amounts of her time to the most nefarious cyberstalking imaginable, and emerged strong enough to seek the truth and bare it to the world. Praise is also due to the young Malony for the sheer amount of material he absorbed and how he remained in (non) character. And a big bouquet to thrice Emmy-nominated Dot-Marie Jones who imbued the ACTUAL PERSON (and others) with wit, relish and discernment."
BroadwayWorld - Recommended
"...With direction from Mike Donahue, HIGHWAY PATROL moves along at a nice clip. Delany is a warm and vulnerable actor; she invites audiences easily into her story. She’s relaxed and genial, but she also captures the anxiety and harriedness of an incredibly busy time in her professional life. Thomas Murphy Molony is winsome and earnest as Cam, Dana’s adoring Twitter fan. Dot-Marie Jones is grounded and wry as Cam’s grandma Nan, and she wears a few other hats in the play that show off her acting chops. In a fun turn, Peter Gallagher voices himself in various phone conversations and voicemails with Dana. Dane Laffrey’s set design is sleek and modern, and Yee Eun Nam’s projection designs allow us to literally see Dana’s digital archives projected larger-than-life onstage."
NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...“Highway Patrol” is good at depicting the odd give-and-take of email and social media—with one party urgently messaging without knowing when or if the other party will respond, and the difficulty in interpreting tone. It raises an interesting question—can you have a true, loving communion with someone you never meet in real life, or “IRL”? The answer is probably not. As more of our relationships go into cyberspace, we are getting into trouble as a species."
