Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...Esquivel is really something, but this truly is an ensemble affair with a savvy set that was deftly designed by José Manuel Díaz-Soto (elevator and all). Santana cast and staged the show with a very clever and fresh eye and this great, new, retro “Lobby Hero” just bops along in the most entertaining of fashions."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Under Nate Santana’s direction, some of the acting is sometimes more broad than it needs to be, but the writing is good enough to withstand it. Three out of these four people are put in impossible quandaries and their way out is not what I would have predicted. I kept wondering what I would have done in their place long after leaving the theater."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Blackmail, bullying, and bluster mark Kenneth Lonergan’s classic play “Lobby Hero.” Directed by Nate Santana, the story is a microcosm about the meaning of truth and what is considered morally wrong. Specifically, the play is about a prevailing system of quid pro quo, influence peddling, and corruption within the New York City Police Department, where officials cultivate gratitude and obtain personal power by selectively doing favors and threatening punishments."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Shattered Globe, one of Chicago's most accomplished storefront theaters, has produced so many excellent productions during its past seasons. They have another hit on their hands with this production of Ken Lonergan's spellbinding play. Kudos go once again to Dialect Coach Sammi Grant for her polished work with this cast. Do not miss this production because it's an incredible, almost out-of-body experience sharing the night with these four gripping characters."
The Fourth Walsh
- Highly Recommended
"...LOBBY HERO features a quartet of fantastic, well-paced performances and complex, well-drawn characters. Having said that, I've never seen a performance quite as physical as what Elliot Esquivel (a fairly recent transplant from Austin) is doing here. Undoubtedly with the encouragement of director Nate Santana, you just can't take your eyes off of Esquivel. Slim, tucked into a pair of high-waisted dark blue floods and with a flowing mane piled into a massive man bun, everything he does is awkward. We can't help but pull for him or be astonished when he stands up to someone much stronger for what he believes in."
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero blends working relationships tested by an ethical dilemma in this comedic drama that gets a timely staging by Shattered Globe Theatre. Is the titular Lobby Hero the loopy security guard Jeff, played by Elliott Esquivel, or his straight-arrow superior William (Terence Sims)? It may be the serious police rookie Dawn (Emma Jo Boyden) who really wants to do the right thing and succeed in her new job. But it certainly is not the senior cop named Bill (Adam Schulmerich), whose life and career are tainted with infidelity and toxic masculinity."
PicksInSix
- Recommended
"...Shattered Globe Theatre’s latest offering “Lobby Hero," a taut, fascinating piece delivered in an almost improvisational style with several fine performances, is playing at Theater Wit through March 1. The play is written by the accomplished director/playwright/screenwriter/actor Kenneth Lonergan and directed in a tight, emotional fashion by SGT member Nate Santana. “Lobby Hero” is an almost claustrophobic tale of mostly honest, hard-working folk confronted by ethical choices that somehow wind up in the same brew, even as they seem to tell different stories—an admirable feat."
Chicago Culture Authority
- Recommended
"...Devotees of gritty noir will feel right at home, especially with the increasingly menacing Bill. In trying to emphasize that vibe, the dramatic lighting and music cues are distractingly on the nose, but all in all, this is a satisfying night at the theater with no happy endings in sight."
Splash Magazine
- Highly Recommended
"...Kenneth Lonergan could be called a very self-effacing playwright. With a long career, a slew of award nominations for his plays and an Academy Award for writing Manchester by the Sea’s screenplay in 2017, he knows how to tell a very compelling story. But when talking about his achievements, he sounds like a person who’s simply being attentive to the rigors of his craft. Thanks to Shattered Globe Theater’s production of Lonergan’s Lobby Hero now being staged at Theater Wit on Belmont, we’re getting a vastly rewarding reminder of how wonderfully he makes art mirror life. And under the adroit direction of Nate Santana, it comes packaged as an evening of solid entertainment."
Allie and the After Party
- Recommended
"...For those that want more of an action packed play or aren’t interested in morality plays that don’t have a clear ending, this might not be the show for you. However, if you love one set plays where the plot is slowly unraveled in front of you and material that makes you think, Lobby Hero would be a good fit for you."
NewCity Chicago
- Recommended
"...Elliot Esquivel is a unique and mesmerizing presence in the new Shattered Globe production of "Lobby Hero." Slim, floppy and buzzing with energy, he suggests a young John Turturro mixed with Ray Bolger. He seems to be filled with straw or air, like a sky dancer advertising a car wash. He's delightful and we root for him, worrying that he's going to mess up his seedling start at a new life."
