His Shadow Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...With its moral lessons, political commitment and focus on fraternal angst, "His Shadow" strikes me an ideal play for young people, the kind of work that could and should tour to schools, especially given the simplicity of this staging. As with "The Light," Webb has homed in on something in the news - Colin Kaepernick's battles with the National Football League obviously influenced the writing. But she's really writing here about how black athletes so often are not given a voice, nor the space and time to breathe and find themselves within what's often a physical sacrifice of life-altering proportion. And the play is arguing this is not a problem confined to the NFL: colleges desperate to win are complicit."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Wardell Julius Clark's direction and the trio of actors also highlight the easy joyous banter sprinkled throughout the play. Though Teeny's narrative trajectory may seem clear early on, watching him come to terms with himself, his family, and his social conscience still provides a relevant snapshot of what we ask of heroes and those who struggle in their shadows."

Picture This Post - Highly Recommended

"...How much would you sacrifice to do the right thing? Maybe not much, if you were rational about it; a bit of money, some labor when you have time, but not your biggest life goals. Unless, that is, you'd somehow reached the limit of what you could tolerate. If it was up to Teeny, His Shadow: A Parable would be a sports drama centering on his rise to the top of his field through sheer grit and the inspiration his heroic leadership supplied to his sidekick teammates. But that's not the play Chicago native Loy A. Webb has chosen for him at the 16th Street Theater's world premiere. Inspired by the take-a-knee protests against racial bias in policing, this is the story of a man who very much did not want to be an activist."

NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...Webb’s story, with its over-the-top use of archetypes flirts on the border of too-too didactic, but whenever it gets close, the story manages to avert it, often through clever wordplay steeped in slang. And the effusively charismatic performances of the three actors, especially Gardner and Moore as “brothas for life,” helps deliver a painful message with a spoonful of hope and warmth. Director Wardell Julius Clark keeps the whole thing moving at a crisp pace and, with actors playing multiple parts among multiple settings on a tiny stage, without forsaking clarity."