How to Explain the History of Communism to Mental Patients at Trap Door Theatre

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...These contrasting sentiments encapsulate Romanian playwright Matei Visniec's theatrical world: vulgar yet poetic, cynical yet aspirational, eidetic yet irresolute. They also sum up the last 22 years of Trap Door shows. No wonder this production, the company's third Visniec offering performed by mostly Trap Door regulars, fires on all cylinders for 75 engrossing minutes. Director Zoltan Balazs's angular, stylized staging is hilarious, perplexing, and harrowing-often all at the same time."

Theatre By Numbers - Recommended

"...I admire what was done on Trap Door's stage in this production. It raises far more questions than it gives answers. It creatively and effectively forces an out of this world universe upon its audience and unapologetically challenges us to join the actors within it. But, I think creating the world is only the first step to making a perfect play. What we do as theatre artists is tell stories. When exercising our world-building muscles, we must be careful not to lose sight of the story itself. And, we must make sure that our audience doesn't lose sight of it, as well."

Chicago Theater Beat - Somewhat Recommended

"...We're left with a production that is better in the parts than the whole. A better moral for Yuri's Utopian fiction might be found in that lesser known Latin phrase, "semper in faecibus sumus sole, profundum variat." Translation: We are always in the shit. Only the depth varies."

NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...The performers here deliver. Every movement is powerful and attentive. Even in the halting, you see the potential twitching in their fibers."