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Citadel Theatre Company
It Runs In The Family Reviews
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Citadel Theater in Lake Forest provides a delicious holiday confection in the form of "It Runs in the Family," a frothy British farce set in a London hospital during the 1980's. The show, written by Britain's Ray Cooney, features several improbable plots smashed together, including preparations for the annual Christmas pantomime, a married doctor preparing for a career-make-or-break lecture, a nurse with whom he had an affair suddenly showing up eighteen years later with their 18-year-old punk-rocker son, the doctor's busy-body wife, a nosy police sergeant and a cast of other hospital staff and goofballs who enter and exit (slamming doors and windows) with hilarious regularity."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...A big thank you to Citadel Theatre for sharing this sparkling gift of Christmas craziness with Chicagoland audiences, just in time for the upcoming holidays. Ray Cooney, one of England's most clever and prolific playwrights, is known for his hilarious comedies and over-the-top farces. Each of his 24 plays is so tightly and intricately tangled that, once his plots are set into motion, all of the erratic events take on lives of their own. The stories breathlessly race nonstop to a satisfying conclusion that somehow tie up all the loose ends."
Chicago Theater and Arts - Recommended
"...Matron, a terrific foil for all the goings on is perfectly played by Debra Rodkin as she is in and out with the gurney, holds a needle to subdue Leslie who has made his way upstairs to the doctors’ room, and she is yelling outside the window that she can’t hold on any longer while stopping Leslie from falling, entering or leaving."
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...Come along for the chaotic ride and have yourself a merry little Christmas as this outstanding cast tries to navigate the complicated scenario. Keep a lookout on the window ledge as most of the characters find their way out there at one time or another."
NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...“It Runs in the Family,” Ray Cooney’s 1987 British farce, offers two-and-a-quarter hours of unredeemed silliness of the slamming-door and double-take variety. More of a live-action cartoon than a play, it will appeal mainly to those who favor Benny Hill over Monty Python."