Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Not all the lines are there, nor are the transitions yet sure or swift. Some of the scenes are quite lovely; others feel as though they are being staged for the first time right before your eyes. Overall, the show moves much too slowly. I think for some people, the warmth of the performers and the human kindness of the writing will smooth over those cracks — those are not trivial accomplishments here. But the best kind of magic takes a lot of work."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...Kingdom , given an impassioned premiere in director Kanome Jones's insightful staging for Broken Nose Theatre, reveals Harris on the brink of greatness. He's created a familiar yet exceptional family: hobbled patriarch Arthur, his terminally ill long-term partner Henry, his self-destructive son Alexander, and his headstrong niece Phaedra, all African-American, all gay. Their bonds have been nearly rent asunder by the insidious pressures of racism and homophobia, not to mention the workaday traumas of family life. Set in 2015, just after Obergefell v. Hodges granted same-sex couples the right to marry, Kingdom explores three volatile relationships: Arthur and Henry, at loggerheads over legalizing their 40-year partnership; Alexander and Malik, college lovers who split after nine years so closeted Malik could achieve his dream of playing for the NFL; and, less centrally, Phaedra and Rosalija, faltering under the menacing presence of Rosalija's homophobic ex-boyfriend."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...This is enough backstory to fuel a dozen plays ( or a two-season television series, at least ), but never does our attention waver during the two hours necessary to bring the challenges confronting this troubled clan to a satisfactory conclusion. Commendations are due Harris' earthy dialogue and Kanome Jones' brisk-paced direction, but what ensures our immediate empathy is the chemistry exhibited by Christopher McMorris and Watson Swift, who expand the boundaries of geezerly mannerisms to endow Arthur and Henry with a romantic warmth to be envied at any age."
Theatre By Numbers - Recommended
"...The community at the heart of “Kingdom” is no fantasy, thankfully. This group of queer family members creates a kingdom with one another, and that is something all of Chicago sorely needs to see right now. When questions about representation and storytelling occur, it is companies like Broken Nose that are willing to produce the intersectional stories that bring out the best in our society."
Chicago On Stage - Recommended
"...This very funny play focuses on the relationship between Henry and Arthur and is notable because it has no agenda. This is no gay polemic: being gay is simply a fact of these people's lives and the play isn't political in any way other than its desire to see openly gay athletes in the NFL and other sports leagues. Further, though the characters are black, there isn't even a hint of a subplot about racism; it just isn't that kind of play. It is a sweet family comedy, really, albeit an unusual one that is occasionally raw in language and innuendo. Still, the show does have some issues, and I'll try to enumerate them for you as we go along."
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...Kingdom is a lovely, lovely story, with lovely characters and moments that will tug at your heartstrings in ways that even a Disney movie can’t. Go see this play and cry happy tears all the way home."
