Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...Under Justin Brill's direction, the sexual premise surprisingly pivots into a story about finding love in unexpected places and being yourself, with lush, catchy harmonies and high-energy dance numbers choreographed by Shanna VanDerwerker. The book has glimpses of sharp humor, but could use work on some of its easy stereotypes and metaexplanations of its ancient source material."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...There's no denying the plot's frivolous stakes, but the Refuge Theatre Project has cultivated a reputation for generating oodles of excitement from little more than thin air and adrenalin—assisted, in this case, by site-specific staging in a church gymnasium acoustically designed for amplification, if not articulation, and a four-piece band giving the impression of playing everything in double-time. For all its puppyish exuberance, however, by the time that the most deserving of Aphrodite's disciples scores the winning point in an actual tournament-grade hoop, we are having too much fun to quibble over trifling pedantry."
Chicago Maroon - Highly Recommended
"...Aristophanes wrote Lysistrata as a comedy, but it presents a salient point about the power of female sexuality. Lysistrata Jones modernizes the story, but we still see a young woman who takes back her sexuality and inspires other women to wield their own power. But forget the deep stuff. Refuge Theatre Project's Lysistrata Jones is delightful, provocative, and masterfully performed. "
Stage and Cinema - Somewhat Recommended
"...Maybe—dammit!—we get the comedy we deserve, cut to fit and ready to wear. Take Lysistrata Jones (please). Aristophanes’ most famous satire, Lysistrata, imagined a sex strike in Athens fifth century BC: Tired of over a decade of inconclusive warfare between that city-state and the warriors of Sparta, the soldiers’ wives and sweethearts declare a moratorium on nookie. Pursuing whatever it takes to end not win the war in the absence of voting power, they employ domestic persuasion (on both sides) to make the forces of life, lust and love overcome the male drive for death. Abstinence will end the Peloponnesian War!"
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...As they say, Everything old is new again. A comedy written in Ancient Greece in 411 B.C. by the classical playwright Aristophanes has found a new life. In this cleverly updated adaptation by Broadway’s Douglas Carter Beane, featuring a snappy, pulsating pop/rock score by Lewis Finn, the basic plot and many of the characters’ names are much the same. This new version can be enjoyed in an exciting new Chicago production by Refuge Theatre Project set, appropriately, in the second floor gymnasium of Andersonville’s Unity Lutheran Church."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...Performed by a ridiculously talented ensemble cast in the gymnasium at Andersonville's Unity Lutheran Church, popup venue maven Refuge turns the joint into various locations in and around fictional Athens University. Most notably, it's the home court of a losing basketball team that makes Northwestern football of the 1980s (record: 19-90-2) seem accomplished by comparison."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...Lysistrata Jones is, overall, simply a joy, and if you have the chance to see it you absolutely should. It may not be the same as ending the Peloponnesian War, but still, Aristophanes would be proud."
Picture This Post - Somewhat Recommended
"...In this writer's opinion, this is a fun and hilarious production that is unfortunately swallowed by its environment. If this exact cast, choreography, direction, etc. could all be transported to a more conventional venue, the quality couldn't get much higher. However, it's still a fun production to see in this kind of environment, so it is definitely worth muddling through the problems to see this wonderful cast break out of it."
