Lane Call: A Night of Closing at Factory Theater

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...The transience of the retail world is key to “Lane Call,” which playwrights Len Foote and Scott OKen based on their experiences working at a Venture in the northwestern suburb of Norridge, where they met in 1984. Young employees come and go, using the job as a steppingstone to “real” careers, while the threat of store closures or buyouts is ever-present. “Stores change; job stays the same,” muses Greg Gerstenberger (Timothy C. Amos), the middle-aged manager of the Factory’s fictionalized Venture."

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Even at 90 minutes, though, there’s not quite enough meat on the bone in the central story about the diverging upward mobility of two young store associates. Audience mileage will also vary depending on one’s appetite or tolerance for really broad, often-catchphrase-based jokes, but for a hangout comedy, director OKen’s ensemble is a group of actors that are easy to hang out with."

The Fourth Walsh - Recommended

"...ATTN SHOPPERS: LANE CALL A NIGHT OF CLOSING is a fun outing! Although the actual story is light on drama, the theatrical wrappings are warm and lively. I enjoyed this ensemble morphing into a working retail crew. There are surprising heartfelt moments of real fellowship. They come together in fierce solidarity for both the pending store inspection and the after-hours party!"

Chicago On Stage - Somewhat Recommended

"...Overall, though, this play has the feel of the 80s-era sitcom it most easily resembles. The recent hit series Superstore had more edge, but this one does feel like a family on the brink of change; some will roll with it, and some will cling to the past until it is completely gone, fading like one of the ubiquitous “Attention, Venture shoppers” announcements that punctuate the play."