Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"...To a large extent, Ngozi Anyanwu’s new 90-minute, two-character play “Leroy and Lucy” at Steppenwolf Theatre feels like an attempt to reclaim that dubious legend, feminize it and make it more palatable for how we now prefer to look at great blues musicians, which is as formidable talents who invented their own music in the face of the systemic racism that caused the profound streaks of angst and melancholy that join with a sense of rebellious joy to make up the form."
Chicago Sun Times
- Recommended
"...In Ngozi Anyanwu's richly poetic but overly cool-to-the-touch new play "Leroy and Lucy," impeccably acted by Jon Michael Hill and Brittany Bradford in its world premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre, a decidedly unsatanic devil gets her due, becoming a sympathetic, complex character in her own right, battling against being forgotten and alone."
Daily Herald
- Highly Recommended
"...Mythologies inevitably build up around innovative artists who become legends beyond their lifetimes. Playwright Ngozi Anyanwu is astutely aware of this in her entrancing world-premiere play “Leroy and Lucy” for Steppenwolf Theatre, which finds inspiration from the influential blues musician and songwriter Robert Johnson (1911-1938)."
Chicago Reader
- Recommended
"...Jon Michael Hill brilliantly portrays Leroy, an earnest country bumpkin with nothing to his name but a crappy guitar, dreams, and a few secrets. Walking on a dark, lonely road, he comes to a crossroads where sophisticated Lucy, played by an intensely dynamic Brittany Bradford, sits strumming. Leroy is puzzled and enchanted by the gorgeous, talented, complex woman sitting alone and unafraid in the dark, and his curiosity pulls them into a spiral of music, magic, and mythos."
Stage and Cinema
- Highly Recommended
"...Little is known about Robert Johnson’s life, largely because it was so short. Johnson died of unknown causes at just twenty-seven, but he had already left a lasting mark on the music industry. Known as the father of the Delta Blues, Johnson is also referred to as the first ever rock star, and his talents led some to believe he had supernatural powers. A legend was born that Johnson met the devil at a local crossroads and made a deal"
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews
- Highly Recommended
"...Forming a compelling duo, Brittany Bradford portrays Lucy and Jon Michael Hill as Leroy, providing two remarkable performances with emotional richness and a gripping twist. Their masterful ability to embody their roles allows audiences to fully connect with the characters, creating a viewing experience that is both profound and unforgettable. This captivating interplay adds layers of intrigue, ensuring that you won't want to miss a moment of their compelling journey on stage. "
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Steppenwolf Theatre’s latest production, “Leroy and Lucy”, is a haunting, atmospheric journey that entwines mythology with blues legend Robert Johnson’s life and legacy. With rich storytelling and spellbinding performances, this play keeps the audience captivated from start to finish."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...This astonishing World Premiere will long be remembered for its poetic power, magnificently moving performances and superb theatrical artistry. Solo performances and two-character productions sometimes prove disappointing to me, but not in this case. The total package makes the difference. Brought to life by a talented Director, made flesh by two gifted actors, Steppenwolf’s thrilling new play by Ngozi Anyanwu weaves a magical spell for the audience. Get ready to unpack the secrets between Leroy and Lucy."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...Ngozi Anyanwu’s Leroy and Lucy, in its electrifying world premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre, takes the legendary tale of Robert Johnson’s fateful night at crossroads and infuses it with the powerful mysticism of Yoruba spirituality. Forget the familiar Christian devil—instead, Anyanwu conjures Eshu, a complex Orisha (god) from Yoruba mythology who rules over sin and consequence, fate and chance, life and death. Directed by the fantastic visionary Awoye Timpo, this production doesn’t just retell a story; it transforms it, offering a dynamic cultural perspective that pulses with life and spirit."
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...The story of blues pioneer Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil at the Crossroads has intrigued and inflamed Black music's history. The Crossroads, where seminal blues artist Robert Johnson exchanged his soul for the gift of virtuosic guitar playing, has been determined to be the intersection of highways 41 and 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. I believe that determination is for tourism purposes. Steppenwolf Theatre's world premiere of playwright Ngozi Anyanwu's Leroy and Lucy takes a metaphysical approach to the legend and turns it on its head. Jon Michael Hill (Leroy) and Brittany Bradford (Lucy) shine in this take on how Robert Johnson mastered the blues guitar."
MaraTapp.org
- Recommended
"...Inspired by an apocryphal story about an influential blues musician, Steppenwolf’s Leroy and Lucy is full of spirit, magic and surprises."
Splash Magazine
- Highly Recommended
"...Leroy and Lucy is electrifying! The play is beautifully developed, the stagecraft inspired, the acting brilliant. It’s impossible to take your eyes off these two; she is seductive, sinuous, physically rhythmical. He is innocent, intrigued, despondent, renewed. The lighting is wondrous: in one twisty scene, blue and purple clouds etched on the ceiling light converge with spiraled accents on the floor, and all the air in-between, including the actors’ faces, are colored in swirling mist.”"
BroadwayWorld
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Ultimately, LEROY AND LUCY feels more like a sketch than a fully formed play. Anyanwu had inspiration for the central conceit, but the playwriting is stagnant and doesn't have a sense of momentum or character development. Much like Leroy and Lucy themselves, the play dangles in an in-between space - and didn't give me enough as an audience member to digest and observe."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...In her play, “Leroy and Lucy,” getting its world premiere at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, playwright Ngozi Anyanwu offers a marvelous imagining of the Johnson legend. In Anyanwu’s play, Johnson is traveling from rural Mississippi to Memphis when he encounters a beautiful woman named Lucy at the crossroads, singing the blues."
