Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...The performances are all of a genre but many of them come from top-drawer Equity actors like Dahlquist, Butler-Duplessis, Sill and Weygandt, and Wolf is full of life. The set by Collette Pollard is of that famous genre known as Wrigleyville realism (look for the gallery at the Art Institute), with enough Cubs logos to rival the Cubby Bear. Everything is focused on a sentimental good time for Cubs fans, emphasizing the team's multi-generational reach and its long-standing place in the hearts of North Siders known for tolerance, tears and forgiveness. All obstacles are merely speed-bumps on the road to Waveland glory and a happier climax to our limited time on this stale promontory."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...The cast is outstanding, despite the material. Pops (Gene Weygandt) has a fabulous voice and some beautiful moments, Charlie's best bud Larry (Jonathan Butler- Duplessis) delivers a couple great songs, and young Elise Wolf (who shares the role with Amaris Sanchez) shines as Dani. But Brandon Dahlquist and Allison Sill as Charlie and Sofia have the chemistry of siblings and their songs, with lyrics like "we make a damn good team" or "what's the pitch," are cringeworthy. In the end, Chicago won, but Wrigleyville lost, and less than a week later, after the election, so did the rest of the country. But holy cow, we broke the curse!"
Chicago On the Aisle - Recommended
"...The musical certainly pushes the right buttons for sentimental journeying with the 2016 Cubs. The setting, designed by Collette Pollard, is Maggie’s Bar, a long-established, faintly shabby, hole-in-the-wall Wrigleyville joint. The extravagantly carved wooden back bar presides over the space like an altar screen. The vinyl-topped metal stools and wooden tabletops, worn to a soft sheen by decades of spilled beer, have seen better days. Evocative images of the World Series games, individual players and Wrigleyville rooftops unfurl continuously on a strip of screens stretching across the stage above the bar."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...We are luck to have the World premiere of this amazing new musical on one of our intimate stages. That of the Royal George Theatre on Halsted Street. I will say that the stage is a bit awkward with the musicians in a pit that seems to be an obstacle for the actors. In fact, I would think this play would do better in a smaller, even more intimate space and even if we do not see the musicians, we would be aware that this is live music."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Recommended
"...The Royal George production gets good marks for its professionalism. Collette Pollard’s set is a detailed realistic evocation of a sports bar, though I wondered why were not multiple TV sets to serve the customers while they consumed their beer and hot dogs? The production team is headed by Damon Kiely as director and Kory Danielson as music director. Izumi Inaba designed the costumes, Christine Binder the lighting, and Ray Nardelli the sound plan."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...By and far the most enjoyable part of the show comes at the very end when the audience gets to watch the family go through the trials and terrors of watching the World Series without knowing the outcome. When the final out is finally made the audience – many of them decked in the garb they wore that night – gets to celebrate along with the family. And Pops looking heavenward for his late wife and belting out Harry Caray’s beloved “Hoooooly Cow!,” well, talk about the waterworks."
Chicago Theater and Arts - Highly Recommended
"...It is so much fun seeing a production where the audience is as enthusiastic as the players on stage. This is a show where only a minority in the audience did not wear a Cub hat or shirt or some symbol of their team loyalty."
PicksInSix - Highly Recommended
"...Even if we know what’s coming next, cheering on the “Boys in Blue” with video highlights (courtesy of the Cubs and designer Mike Tutaj) that capture the excitement of that championship season and the unforgettable Chicago celebration that followed is like winning the World Series all over again."
Picture This Post - Somewhat Recommended
"...In this reviewer’s opinion, there is little in this script or music—despite fine performances by the entire cast—that ignites as much as reliving the moment shown in video above the bar setting. That said, there is obviously no shortage of devout Cubs fans that will likely keep this show as a commercial success throughout the run. If you are ever on the look for a chance to sport your Cubs wear and share in fandom rituals- this is your top pick show for sure. For the rest of us—and especially if you like this reviewer became a Cubs fan only in that last year when the team was clearly flirting with a break from the curse—you may find better theater options and more engaging musicals on our stages now."