Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Tom tells a story about pigs who get smarter the more they're abused-who still turn on each other. Giles gives us Orwell by way of David Lynch, and the results are electrifying."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Mike Pence Sex Dream has many urges, and neither Giles nor director Hutch Pimentel can fully satisfy all of them: This might be the first play in history where the dream sequences are the highlights. The show has its irreverence and queerness down pat, but at times it feels like a lecturing Facebook post about the horrors of factory farming. William Boles’s burnished metal set is long on mood—it’s as though the characters were going clubbing in hell—but the monochrome looks gets monotonous fast."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...Have you ever been curious whether our current Vice President can vogue? That's right, like "strike a pose" and "let your body go with the flow" as instructed by Madonna in her 1990 smash hit single. The answer lies somewhere within the absurdist comedy and uneasy disquitetude of "Mike Pence Sex Dream." First Floor Theater is presenting the world premiere of Dan Giles' salacious new play, under the direction of Hutch Pimentel, at their resident home, The Den Theatre."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Dan Giles’ latest play melds the feelings of many Americans, concerning the disruptive change in our government, balanced with the personal relationship between three men. Most specifically, Giles’ drama is how power and prestige oftentimes merge with sexual desire and dreamlike fantasies. There are no answers in this play; only questions and situations presented for our thoughtful consideration. Played out upon a creatively adaptable set, designed by William Boles, often playfully bathed in fog, shadows and light, by Claire Chrzan, the production seamlessly shifts between scenes, laced with sound and music, by Eric Backus. Hutch Pimentel’s direction is powerful and straightforward, always guiding his gifted actors to bring their best to the stage, and ever focused upon telling the story of three men facing a radical change in their lives."
Rescripted - Highly Recommended
"...First Floor Theater knows what they’re doing for this gutsy world premiere. Hutch Pimentel directs with a precision that can only be achieved by a team operating with total trust and open minds."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...Helmed by First Floor Artistic Director Hutch Pimentel, the artistic team embraces Giles’ play about worlds colliding, and the blurring lines between fantasy and reality. Scenic Designer William Boles surrounds the intimate space with mirrors, touched up in a way that distort reflections ever so slightly – which are especially effective in the moments of sexual fantasies."
NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...What is missing from this play is the meat of the subject matter. Giles has packed so many thoughtful lines into this juicy one-act play, and yet so much gets lost. “Mike Pence Sex Dream” is quick with laughs and even quicker with gut punches. There is so much to the story of Ben, Gary and Tom that could be further unpacked for a more satisfactory climax (all puns intended)."
