Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Part of the message here is that crucial role of fun and games in any marriage and, at one point in the script, Harry and Joan finally grasp some of what makes married life worth living. But instead of glimpsing the potential of transformation, as Kolvenbach surely intended, this feels here like just another glib scene, not so different from what has gone before. Not much connection here then, the considerable talent on stage notwithstanding, in which to believe."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Beane’s matter-of-fact processing matched with Molly’s fear-based bravado alchemize into an intimacy and love without pretense. “I think a person can have you at gunpoint whether they have a gun or not,” Beane tells her as they begin to crack through one another’s boundaries. It’s a delightful transition to watch, larger than life but completely relatable. Colors are brighter, turkey sandwiches taste divine, and suddenly, all those love songs make sense."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...To me, the best plays have characters that in elevated moments speak the language of poetry.
And as a poetry teacher told me once, poems don't require that we get everything there is to get
from them at once to enjoy them.
Remy Bumppo Theatre Company's production (through April 21 at Theater Wit) of "Love Song" by John Kolvenbach is a good example of such a play."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...John Kolvenbach's offbeat comedy hits the mark with comedic satire and a profoundly compassionate narrative, where the need for love is paramount and where internal and external love within us plays a prominent role. The staging was so realistic that I wanted to move into Joan and Harry's apartment away from the show. Ultimately, Beane knows that everything he has recently experienced isn't real. Still, it helps him deal with the void of his existence and allows him to step out on faith without the protection of Molly, his sister Joan, and Harry - and lets us understand that in a world of disorder, sometimes fantasy can help us deal with the painful facts within our society."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...When you take your seat at Theater Wit ( in theater two) and look at the stage, you will be thinking “this is a nothing set”, just a wall, a big easy chair, a table and two chairs. What can they do in this space? Well, the answer is pretty clear. They can tell you an amazing story about “brotherly love” which in this case is closer to “sisterly love” as the story involves a brother and sister."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...This is a delightfully quirky and totally offbeat comedy. Throughout his play, John Kolvenbach explores several different kinds of love in 90-minutes. There are moments of empathy and familial love, devoted spousal love, a love of one’s job and career choices, sweet romantic love and, a type of love not often depicted in the theatre, a love of oneself. Remy Bumppo Theatre has done it again, thanks to Marti Lyons’ expert direction. They not only give audiences an hour-and-a-half of well-performed entertainment, filled with laughter and witty dialogue; but once again they’ve introduced to theatergoers a story that’s guaranteed to make them think."
Buzznews.net - Highly Recommended
"...When a play's opening moment is mystifying and its closing moment is satisfying, the stuff in between must be doing its job. John Kolvenbach's Love Song presents us with a young man in a spartan room, silently observing a lamp that seems to have a mind of its own. Love? Song? We have our doubts."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...The acting, the wit, the condo are definitely reasons to see this show. Although this LOVE SONG isn’t timeless, it is entertaining if you are able to suspend your belief in the progression of mental health education."
Third Coast Review - Recommended
"...It's hard to say what Love Song is about. Does it show us how we can enjoy life and love in many ways, including being comfortable with ourselves-self-love? Family love, romantic love. Actually, Love Song isn't about much, but it's a funny and charming 80 minutes of theater."
MaraTapp.org - Highly Recommended
"...Do everything you can to grab hold of these love stories so you can engage in the ecstasy of their language and the love they offer. They will make your heart sing!"
Life and Times - Recommended
"...The play succeeds on many levels. It is entertaining, but it also will inspire you to use your mind. As the play goes on, audience members may question the different types of love they themselves experience. By the end of the performance, audiences will have gained some added insights into the emotion. Nobody will be left with a hollow heart."
City Pleasures - Highly Recommended
"...Love Song leaves you with a lot to unpack. But the process feels more like unwrapping gifts that you cherish immediately. Under Lyons’ direction, you’re left with a full sense of love’s imperative. Whether it’s romantic love, familial love or love of self, it’s presence is a key to personal fulfillment. And just as importantly, you’re left with the sense that they’re all attainable."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...John Kolvenbach’s witty, thought-provoking play “Love Song”—which premiered at Steppenwolf back in 2006 and has been skillfully revived by Remy Bumppo—is an old-fashioned screwball romantic comedy with its own sort of modern metaphysical twist."
