Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...In Madeleine George's 2019 play "Hurricane Diane," now produced by Theater Wit in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, the Greek god Dionysus arrives in New Jersey to do some mischief. The deity has a helpful disguise: She takes the form of a lesbian landscape gardener who talks a really good game about sustainable horticulture."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...In Hurricane Diane, now in its local premiere at Wit under Jeremy Wechsler's direction (he also staged Mammoths), George pulls off a similar mix of past and present by reaching back to Greek mythology and giving Dionysus (god of wine, vegetation, fertility, festivity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theater-phew!) a new identity as a lesbian gardener bent on healing the planet, one suburban lawn at a time."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...Fortunately, these middle-class matrons transcend their superficial stereotypess to exude so much sincere charm that even playgoers who don't know a parabasis from a paralegal can have some fun trashing these would-be maenads, and if you happen to be a fire-breathing eco-warrior, you can revel in portents of armageddon delivered in nannyishly severe tones—or you can just sit back and watch Diane (as portrayed by the always welcome Kelli Simpkins) cast her seductive pagan spell."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...I suppose one might call Madeline George's "Hurricane Diane" , "The Housewives of Red Bank Meet The Devil Herself"!. I do have to say this is a funny play filled with characters that will have you in stitches. Those of you who might be weather buffs might recall that there was a Hurricane Diane back in the mid 50's. The play that is presently on the stage at Theater Wit is about a different Diane (played with great comic touches by Kelli Simpkins) who is a Goddess of sorts, but as we meet her, she is a gardener (permaculture gardening) who is about as charming as a Goddess could be."
Third Coast Review - Recommended
"...Hurricane Diane is totally silly with a broad array of sure-to-please laugh lines. Wechsler gets distinctive characterizations from the five actors, with Simpkins using her comedy chops to good advantage. (I’ve seen her in several serious roles—like Men in Boats, We’re Gonna Be Okay and The Gulf—and I can only say, she should play comedy more often.) The 90-minute play moves along briskly, using the single kitchen setting to represent the four identical homes with prop changes and landscapes scrolling by outside the back windows."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...Whatever the reason for the setting, Madeleine George's Hurricane Diane, now playing at Theatre Wit in a new production directed by Jeremy Wechsler, is a stark (and utterly hilarious) reminder that we have to play nice with our world. Dionysus, played by the always-brilliant Kelli Simpkins, hates what is becoming of the world that used to afford opportunities for Bacchanal festivals, and she (rightly) blames humanity for the death of nature. She has been lying low for far too long and feels that it is time to retake control. As Simpkins explains at the outset, the god has decided to find new followers to worship her with the same decadence and hedonism with which the ancient Greeks did."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...Welcome to playwright Madeleine George's wickedly funny world where campy humor has us laughing so hard we tend to forget the existential angst that one can imagine first motored the playwright to pick up her pen. Don't expect much character development here, but DO anticipate colliding caricatures of every human foible that has brought us to this moment in our deadly dance with Mother Nature."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...What makes Theater Wit’s production all the more captivating are the myriad ways they’ve found to differentiate the cul-de-sac’s cookie-cutter homes without switching the sets. Characters allude to their homes being the same to guide audiences into these smooth transitions. Keep an eye on the side table to the right of the French doors. The flowers on the table give you an idea of whose home you’re in as well as give insight into the woman’s demeanor. Whether those minor changes are in George’s script or a production choice is unknown to me. Either way, it’s an excellent nod to the show’s overarching theme of sameness being the death of our planet."
