Now. Here. This. Reviews

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Unfortunately, too many of these have a tendency to come across as trivial and one-dimensional: dealing with high school cliques, living up to the family name, and the death of an older relative, to name a few. Energetic performances by the cast members help to redeem this show from Brown Paper Box Co., but one wonders what might have been if life's so-called big questions weren't so darn small."

Windy City Times - Recommended

"...The cast is terrific. Neala Barron wrings emotion out of her character which otherwise is written as annoying. Matt Frye ( my favorite here ) is very funny in all the songs and, when he has a chance to be emotional, he flips on a dime from funny to tears. He's really good. Anna Schutz is our belter in the group and I really enjoyed her performance. No one wants someone singing loudly in his or her face in a small theater, but she found great balance. Nick Shoda has the geeky charm to sell his character and the bad premise. Overall, go see the talented cast but the musical revue is really uneven."

HollywoodChicago.com - Highly Recommended

"...The cast is blessed with energetic direction and soaring voices. Anna Schutz – a company member of Brown Paper Box Co., as is Nick Shoda – is a glorious chanteuse, using her powerful singing instrument with a depth and purpose that delivers thrilling beauty to her character story. The two gentleman, Shoda and Matt Frye, are living their characters’ dreams, and understand their life memories with heart and humor. The aforementioned Neala Barron portrays a business woman with a difficult facade, and when that mask comes down she assumes a empathetic vulnerability."

Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended

"...The poignant musical homage to mindfulness, living in the moment and, by extension, the theories behind cognitive and dialectical behavioral therapies, Now. Here. This., is on stunning, simple display at Brown Paper Box Co."

Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended

"...Just like its predecessor, [title of show], Now. Here. This features as four-person cast of two men and two women. A four-piece band provides musical accompaniment, although Jeff Bowen’s score is so rich that it may as well be a full orchestra backstage. The cast, made up of Neala Barron, Matt Frye, Anna Schutz, and Nick Shoda, forms a strong ensemble composed of incredibly talented performers who don’t quite fit the conventional mold for musical theatre stars and yet bring vivacity and humanity to their characters in a fashion that is nothing short of breathtaking."

NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...The only problem is the work itself, a mélange of pop music clichés that’s trying way too hard to make us happy. Geared to perceived Millennial tastes, Jeff Bowen’s music and lyrics and Hunter Bell and Susan Blackwell’s book hit every expected note about the travails of middle-class American adolescence, those days of whine and neurosis."