Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...The treats dispensed by Candylady are the totems of Hoodoo, a form of folk magic and a variant of the West African practice known as Vodon (there are other spellings) that involves accessing supernatural forces as a way of correcting problems in everyday life. Such as those faced by Toulou."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...For a play about aspiring blues singers, there isn't a ton of live music in Hoodoo Love. This is instead a story about yearning and possibility, about the extreme measures those who feel thwarted by love and life will take to secure something for themselves before they lose their song. While Jones's Toulou is caught between Ace and Jib, it's her relationship with Rivers's Candylady, who carries in her own mojo bag memories of slavery and of all the husbands she's lost, that resonates most honestly. But at crucial moments, Candylady is unable to intervene."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...Whether it really works or it's just self-fulfilling wishful thinking, magic can misfire. Detailing a downhome tragedy set in Memphis during the Depression, Hoodoo Love, Katori Hall's 2007 musical drama tells a sad and simple story of thwarted and twisted passion so strong it needs the blues to chronicle its course."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...With a heady mixture of hoodoo magic and tragic plot twists, Katori Hall’s drama starts out strong, but kind of flattens out by the end. The drama eventually becomes melodrama and doesn’t offer a satisfying conclusion to everything we’ve experienced. Hall unfortunately doesn’t really resolve all the storylines or conclude each character’s journey. But what this play lacks in providing a satisfying finale, Wardell Julius Clark more than makes up for with his dynamic direction. The scene in which Toulou and the Candylady conjure up a spell, for instance, is one of the most powerful moments in this, or any, play. This is also thanks to the excellent performances by Martasia Jones and Shariba Rivers. Mr. Clark’s production is a perfect mixture of magic, misery, mystery and music for a chilly Autumn evening."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...But in this battle of wills, the show absolutely belongs to the magnificent Martasia Jones. The role demands much of an actor, and she is the only choice for the challenge: Jones nails every rhythm the show demands. Intimate and titanic, she seamlessly shifts from afterglow affection, seething resentment, forlorn yearning, flirtatious charm, clandestine scheming, shellshocked acceptance, heartrending grief, and so many other malignant melodies. She’s simply a wonder to watch as she struggles to determine her own destiny."
In The Loop Magazine - Recommended
"...So while "Hoodoo Love" is not a perfect play, Raven's staging has certainly brought out its very best elements, and for that it should be praised."
Storefront Rebellion - Recommended
"...Clark's assured, atmospheric staging, blessed with a top-notch non-Equity cast of actors on the hunt for honesty, cuts cleanly through most of the script's archetypal cliches. (And speaking of clean cuts, scenic designer Sydney Lynne Thomas's work deserves huge credit for one theatrical surprise that's better executed than you often see at this budget level.) While I expect Hall to have greater corridors ahead of her, Raven's Hoodoo achieves some modest magic."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...HOODOO LOVE is a drama piece filled with highs and lows. If you're not interested in a drama, this one might not be for you. But if you like shows where characters face off against odds stacked against them, it's a good fit for you."
The Broadway Blog - Highly Recommended
"...Raven Theatre's production is buttressed by a strong cast of four that exhibits the necessary trust and chemistry to undertake a wide range of emotional risks. Though Jones and Rivers command the stage entirely whenever present or speaking, Elam more than holds his own as the charismatic but haunted Ace of Spades."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...As difficult as some of the scenes in this play are to watch, because the cruelty of men is often too difficult to bear, this show is remarkable. That isn’t even close to the amount of praise this show deserves. It’s spellbinding. It’s enchanting. It’s insert-another-magic-cliche here. You won’t need the help of a mojo bag to fall in love with this show."