Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...The high-stakes "Luna Gale" had the Sunday night Goodman audience in its thrall. There is one scene, in which Caroline reluctantly prays with the Christians that surround her, that really is quite breathtaking. Fisher bows her head but opens her eyes wide (Falls has her downstage, staring out at the audience, although unseeing, of course). It is as if she is trying desperately to pack away both her own pain and her sense of responsibility to others in an act that puts the weight on God, rather than herself."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...In "Luna Gale," Rebecca Gilman's provocative and impassioned play - now in a rip-roaring Goodman Theatre world premiere directed by Robert Falls - the infant of the title is still alive, although she has been brought to a hospital emergency room. So the essential question now facing Caroline (Mary Beth Fisher), a seen-it-all social worker in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is this: Who is best equipped to care for her?"
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...We don't usually think of social workers as having a great deal of power-"overworked" and "underpaid" are often the first words that spring to mind. But in the system known as child protective services, the opinions and observations of these harried civil servants carry more weight than anyone's in determining whether parents should be separated from their children. The possibilities for mistakes, blind spots, and biases are numerous, the consequences far-reaching and potentially devastating. The thorny dilemmas raised by investing a mortal with the power to decide fates is the subject of Rebecca Gilman's gripping new play, Luna Gale, now onstage at Goodman Theatre under the efficient direction of Robert Falls (this is the fourth Gilman script he's staged)."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Director Robert Falls establishes the perfect rhythm in a very intelligently paced staging that's largely free of extraneous bells and whistles, letting his terrific ensemble (which also includes Richard Thieriot as Cindy's unctuous pastor, Erik Hellman as Caroline's adversarial supervisor and Melissa DuPrey as a newly "aged-out" former foster child) have at Gilman's high-stakes scenario and brisk, often very funny dialogue."
ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended
"...Luna Gale is an important as it puts in context an issue that all too often is given a perfunctory story here and there in the news. These agencies are facing huge budget and staff cuts yet a greatly increased caseload of children. These social workers, along with our judiciary, are given a unique responsibility that will shape the lives of hundreds of thousands of children whose impact on our society will be felt for generations to come."
Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended
"...“Luna Gale” is a redemptive tragedy, both social nightmare and coming-of-age story. Goodman’s production belongs on your short list of shows not to be missed."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...The absorbing Luna Gale sucks an audience into its arguments like a Hoover, despite a formulaic storyline, much like the crises in a Lifetime “issue” movie, and its stereotypical characters; this efficient two-act drama raises questions that are just as intriguing as its satisfactory resolution."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Luna Gale is one of those plays that leave you thinking and thankful that your family is functioning without the necessity of help from the social welfare system. Luna Gale is one of Rebecca Gilman's better plays. it is worth seeing."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...Luna Gale will be one of those titles that will soon be on everyone's lips, and on season's schedules everywhere. It covers difficult territory, and has no answers. It has a fearless cast and a wonderful leading lady. And who doesn't love to make it to the other side of a terrifying storm - breathless and drenched - but still standing."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The technical parts of this production are also amazing. The sets are on a giant turntable designed by Todd Rosenthal so there is no lost time in changing from scene to scene allowing the action to continue with no stops. Robert Wierzel's lighting and Richard Woodbury's sound and original music along with the costumes( Kaye Voyce) make this a stunning presentation."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Supported by Todd Rosenthal's exquisitely realistic, revolving set design and Kay Voyce's authentic costumes, Robert Falls' production of Rebecca Gilman's gritty new play is nothing less than remarkable. As in her previous works, "Luna Gale" grabs audiences by the lapels and forces us to think about our social system, the effects of bureaucracy with its stifling rules and regulations and the people affected by its inhumanity. This is one play Chicago will be talking about for a long time and should not be missed."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"..."Luna Gale" is thought provoking in the issues it examines and a grabber in the intensity of its narrative. Perhaps the characters are a bit over stuffed with back stories of shame and betrayal and guilt, but the ensemble serves up the feast of complexities with credibility and conviction. Where there could be stereotypes and caricatures we instead are rewarded with three-dimensional people immersed in problems none of us would wish on ourselves. All this in about two engrossing hours of stage time."
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...LUNA GALE is an important new work. The story, the direction, the acting are stellar. And if that's not enough, Scenic Designer Todd Rosenthal has constructed a revolving set. The moving scenery makes the multiple scene transitions quick and efficient. The attention to detail for the house, the office, the apartment, the restaurant, the daycare, the break room legitimatize the action. In addition, Rosenthal covers his dynamic set with a slanted ceiling of nasty florescent lights and office panels. The look is amazing."
