Passage Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...“Passage,” which is directed by Kaiser Ahmed and staged at Theater Wit with some minimalist style, is a self-aware riff on E.M. Forster’s brilliant “A Passage to India,” but is too sure of its own anti-colonialist views to embrace of the most central concept of that work, which is that everything is a muddle. And unlike Forster, a writer whose works pulsed with emotion and vulnerability, this is a very chilly and abstract piece of theater, some fine acting notwithstanding."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Passage, written by Christopher Chen and directed by Kaiser Ahmed, succeeds in eluding emotional investment because of its desire to present abstract universality. The details that manage to manifest amid a story loosely inspired by E.M. Forster's A Passage to India, particularly the striking use of masks to make humans into enigmatic and riddling animals (Carolyn Hu Bradbury as Mosquito, Adam Poss as Gecko), are the most memorable, also the least essential to the story, also the most essential to any flicker of feeling among these shadows. There are caves. Weird things happen in the caves."

Around The Town Chicago - Recommended

"...Remy Bumppo is back! Some changes have taken place over the period of time that we call "the Covid-19 era", but they are one of Chicago's heart and soul companies, so one can expect plays that open one's minds. The first production for their return and new Artistic Director ( Marti Lyons) is "Passage", a Chicago Premiere, written by Christian Chen. This is a 90 minute story that takes us to a place where we need to think. Under the direction of Kaiser Ahmed, we first meet our cast of players. Rather than names, they have letters (capital) and two of them are other types as well."

Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended

"...Matthew Chen's drama is as timely as when it was written four years ago. Perhaps it's even more au courant now, given everything that's happening in the world today. There's no denying that it's a remarkably dense and demanding drama, filled with a myriad of cerebral choices and challenges. However, as Remy Bumppo seeks to enrich our view of the world, and make us "think theatre," the dedicated playgoer will find plenty of food for thought during the 90 minute production, and will leave the theatre feeling extremely full. The journey through this dark passage will finally bring us into the light."