Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...Under the circumstances, it actually comes across as odd that Doc and Mrs. Gibbs are embodied by white actors (Brian Parry and Jacqueline Grandt, both engagingly folksy). What's odder still, though, is that Fleming's casting does next to nothing to transform, much less subvert, the play. Certainly, seeing such variety onstage heightens our awareness of the many constituencies Wilder didn't contemplate referencing back in 1938-the people who couldn't have a home in Grover's Corners. Yet his writing manages to accommodate them all just the same, for two reasons."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...Redtwist’s production also proves that Our Town’s presentational trappings help it stand up to uneven performing styles. While some of the cast (including some Redtwist regulars) put things across a bit broadly, there are standouts: Nicole Michelle Haskins (who recently wowed in The Wiz at Kokandy Productions) makes a disarming Mrs. Webb, while Richard Costes is particularly effective as the Stage Manager, using American Sign Language to add emphasis to his spoken narration. Newcomer Elena Victoria Feliz makes an equally strong impression as Emily Webb; watch her warm, nuanced take on the soda-shop scene opposite Jaq Seifert’s George Gibbs, followed by her raw emotion in Act III, and you’ll be wanting to keep an eye on her next moves, too."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...Director James Fleming, making his directorial debut with “Our Town” has opted to take the show to a little different place. In Wilder’s play, our small town must deal with social issues, such as addiction, choices in life and a lot of why’s and who’s. In this production, Fleming has opted to cast females in what would be classic male roles and vice-versa. Besides the gender-bending casting, there are also many racially mixed roles. As long as you know up-front that there are differences, the beauty of the play is not affected by this nuance. In fact, after the first glance of his using this technique, it never crossed my mind again."
Chicago Theater and Arts - Recommended
"...Thornton Wilder's classic 'Our Town,' now at Redtwist Theatre, is a slice-of-life drama that asks us to ponder our place in the universe while pausing to appreciate the seemingly mundane interactions and events that comprise the bulk of our days and which ultimately define our existence."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...The first act of Our Town is about daily life in Grover’s Corners, while the second and third are about more universal themes and land more effectively. It helps a lot that wedding and funeral attire haven’t changed as much and that sound designer Connor Wang and lighting designer Daniel Friedman have found ways of making Lizzie Bracken’s set so surreal. The wedding scene is strongly affecting as well as quite funny and the third act is contemplative and vaguely unsettling. Despite aforementioned issues with the first act, the cast all understand their characters very well, this production provides the emotional and intellectual payoff people want from this show."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...In Redtwist's intimate space, the audience feels at once included and witness to all that was happening in Grover's Corners. And yet, the intimacy was perhaps too strong when it came to set itself. Wilder once said that "our claim, our hope, our despair are in the mind-not in things, not in 'scenery.'" The attention to detail on the set by scenic designer Lizzie Bracken and props designer Shea Messinger was exquisite and in the case of many other plays would have lent a marvelous insight into the lives of characters. However, the small details in the set, as well as the choice to develop the set before the audience's eyes before the wedding takes place, made the experience sentimental. An intimate setting with minimal surroundings around the characters may have helped to create the simplicity and dryness that the play's text tries to convey."
