Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...I had a good holiday weekend laugh at the show, as did most of Thursday's excited audience. Along with some droll and quite tuneful ditties to enjoy, a la comic songs at Second City, memorable gags include townsfolk not knowing where the aliens' faces are positioned and (although you had to be there, I suspect) and Ellen saying she had to take a step back from her relationship with John, only to take an actual step back. There's also a very droll ode to the overlooked virtues of "quiet men," which has the line "let's give 'em a real showy finish," only quietly. The cast is filled with skilled comic performers - the likes of Jonathan Butler-Duplessis, Ann Delaney, Sharriese Y. Hamilton - and they switch back and forth between the Earthbound prisoners of the 1950s and the benign visitors from outer space who just want everyone to get along."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...Almost 70 years before last week's landing of the world premiere musical "It Came From Outer Space" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the groundbreaking 1953 Universal International movie of the same name had audiences screaming and cringing from behind their 3-D glasses as meteorites, space debris and aliens seemingly hurtled directly at them."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Last year, Chicago Shakespeare offered We Are Out There, a digital sneak peek of Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair's goofy musical adaptation of the 1953 Universal Pictures sci-fi film, It Came From Outer Space, which was itself based on an original story by Ray Bradbury. Now it's finally onstage at Chicago Shakes's cozy upstairs studio space in a production that's loaded with groanworthy jokes (including a long setup to a Bradbury shout-out), cheesy effects, and everything else you need for the live theatrical equivalent of a retro night at a drive-in. (Well, no popcorn inside the theater.)"
TheatreMania - Recommended
"...It Came From Outer Space is a small-scale, small-cast show that is enjoyable and family-friendly (its occasional four-letter words are unnecessary and easily excisable). Frankly, most people will not be as concerned about the tonal shift as I am, if they even notice it. It would benefit in future productions from two more ensemble members to flesh out the townsfolk and the aliens. Such an expansion still would leave ample opportunities for cast members to double, and for the audience to have fun seeing them do so. This is not a show for Broadway, which would ruin its small charms, but it might play for years off-Broadway and in regional houses and amateur theaters across the country. It's a show that definitely has tentacles, and should have legs, too."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Recommended
"...Regional Tony Award recipient, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, continual efforts to bring a plethora of diverse genres to their stage, brings a witty new musical, It Came from Outer Space. A new musical comedy adapted from the 1953 classic sci-fi film from Universal Pictures, produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold, featured the first in the 3D process."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...This production is a parody of the film and with a cast of six dynamic performers pulls it off. Putnam's "girlfriend" is Ellen Fields ( played to perfection by Jaye Ladymore). The other four actors who play a multitude of roles are: Alex Goodrich ( one of my favorite character actors who plays the Sherriff, George and an alien)., Jonathan Butler-Duplessis ( another Chicago favorite who in this play, is the deputy and three others including a female role in which he is hysterical), Ann Delaney ( as Mazie and one of the aliens) and last, but certainly not least Sharriese Y. Hamilton (Heckie and an alien). They are all terrific and have great energy."
WTTW - Highly Recommended
"...But “It Came From Outer Space,” the zany new musical now in its world premiere at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, is so crazily “in and out” of this world that it is irresistible. And, if you just happened to have read about NASA’s recently announced plan to fund a study of UFOs, well, what more can be said aside from the fact that one of the most amusing studies of that phenomenon can now be found on the stage of a theater."
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...The creative team of Kellen Blair (book and lyrics) and Joe Kinosian (book and music) reimagine a 1953 sci-fi flick as a musical comedy. Blair and Kinosian spoof the tale of a small town being invaded by aliens. Their parody is an amusing mishmash of cliches and stereotypes from B movies set to music. Their songs, like "We are out there" and "If the humans only knew", have both humor and heart. They not only entertain, they also reiterate the show's underlying message of kindness. And seeing the original movie (I have not) is not a prerequisite for enjoyment, the dynamic duo streamline Ray Bradbury's story and then make fun of it... a lot!"
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...With a bawdy and B sense of humor, silly gags throughout and wit in abundance, It Came from Outer Space has an endearing irreverence that will elicit a laugh out of even the most stuffy theater-goers (for me, I broke during one of Butler-Duplessis's impeccable deliveries of a rather unexpected punchline). There's a sort of Avenue Q vibe about the proceedings, a top-notch show presented by talented artists that's a bit of a well-kept secret, and we like it that way. On a bigger stage, in a bigger house, the fun and frivolity of It Came from Outer Space would be lost entirely, but here (and hopefully in some off-Broadway stage in the months to come), the show is something as entertaining as it is surprisingly sweet. It's a trek to get to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater from pretty much anywhere in the city, but shows like It Came from Outer Space continue to solidify the company's reputation for productions that are worth the commute."
Chicago On Stage - Recommended
"...If you are looking for a perfectly silly and fun piece of summer entertainment, the theatrical equivalent of a great beach read, then you should be heading to Navy Pier to see the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre's new musical adaptation of the campy 1950s science fiction film It Came From Outer Space. Creators Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair have pulled out all the stops to recreate the style of the film (which was derived from a story by Ray Bradbury, who gets a clever pay-attention-or-you'll-miss-it shoutout in the musical) while translating it to this new format."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...Like Vaudevillian showmen, two or more cast members break into a song and dance routine. The music is catchy, the choreography is tight, and the ensemble moves as one, in the way only the most rehearsed dancers can do. There is a difference though. As they do their moves, one thinks Frankenstein or zombie-and certainly not gazelle or Giselle. Unnaturally stiff, they dance waddle more than leap, holding their arms out like quadruped paws trying to adjust to biped status. And as they sing, they seem like puppets lip synching-and in fact, they are!"
BroadwayWorld - Highly Recommended
"...Kellen Blair and Joe Kinosian's IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE is campy musical theater fun that pays homage to the 1953 "B-movie" from which it's adapted. In the vein of musicals like LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, Blair and Kinosian lean into the source material's ability to delight and amuse with a take-home message that's clear as day-but the earnestness of the material is what allows it all to be delivered with a wink. Laura Braza's production guides the six cast members through the material swiftly (though it does still seem like a song or two could be cut, particularly while the show ramps up to the unveiling of those mysterious aliens)."
