Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...This show, which now features a script adapted by Katarzyna Müller, imagines a relationship that persists in different circumstances. To some extent, it's like the musical "If/Then," although it's a much quieter piece that cares more about its characters than metaphysical possibility."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...“The Last Wide Open” is billed as a “love song in three movements.” The movements (or acts) are punctuated by acoustic music, but unlike a traditional musical, there’s no splashy choreography — or even a chorus — in the three-person, 80-minute production running through Aug. 18 at American Blues Theater. In the immersive set meticulously modeled after Polish restaurants in Wicker Park and Jefferson Park, the trio that comprises the cast in this music-punctuated romance delivers the kind of emotional punch that pierces the heart."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...The chemistry between Mahler and Cameron isn’t forced—they’re married in real life, and that lived-in comfort goes a long way toward selling the premise. So does Whiteside’s direction, which lets key moments unfold unfussily, without turning the recurring stories in each section (a man dying in Lina’s building, a woman throwing a plate of mushroom pierogies at a man) into portents. There is always a certain level of contrivance in stories of this sort."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews
- Highly Recommended
"... The Last Wide Open is a beautifully crafted play that weaves a heartwarming love story with wit and charm. The narrative skillfully evokes emotions that will uplift your spirit while simultaneously moving the audience to tears."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...It is always a treat to be invited to a World Premiere, but in the case of American Blues Theater, we are getting a World Premiere adaptation of "The Last Wide Open" as in a Polish version. This play with music is a pure delight and what makes it even more so is that two of Chicago's finest musical comedy performers are playing the major roles. Husband and wife team, Michael Mahler and Dara Cameron take on the roles of Mikolaj (Mahler) and Lina (Cameron), the lovers."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Nicely staged in an immersive, realistically-detailed replication of a Polish diner, this is a refreshing and provocative love story that makes audiences both think and feel. It’s a story that features two talented Chicago actors performing at the top of their game. To get into the mood, theatergoers should bring a beverage in from the lobby bar and enjoy an appetizer at their table, before the play begins. Then sit back and enjoy a ride through time and space with Lina and Mikolaj, two attractive, appealing and amiable characters whose multiverse journey audiences will remember for a long time to come."
Third Coast Review
- Recommended
"...Written by Audrey Cefaly with music by Matthew M. Nielson, The Last Wide Open: a Love Song in Three Movements centers around the question of timing, and what could happen if we meet our soul mate in the right place, but wrong time. Cefaly’s play is the love story between Lina (Dara Cameron) and Mikołaj (Michael Mahler) in three separate parts/movements. Each “movement” takes place at 10pm in the Chicago diner; however, each is in a different time period. In essence, each “movement” is meant to give the couple three different chances to make the relationship take off."
Chicago On Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...Audrey Cefaly’s The Last Wide Open (subtitled “a love song in three movements”) is something fresh and new and, yes, wide open. Cefaly states in her own author’s notes that the male character can be adapted to “whatever language/country of origin the actor is best suited for.” Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, in Blank Theatre’s production of the play, has set the character as Polish, an homage to Chicago’s enormous Polish population (2nd largest in the world, with only Warsaw ahead of it). Cefaly granted permission for Katarzyna Müller, a Blank Theatre artistic associate, to adapt the script, and the resulting play, including songs by Matthew M. Neilson, is a beautiful, genuinely sweet, romantic tale in the mode of the movie “Sliding Doors”: a look at the many ways life can change based on a single decision."
MaraTapp.org
- Highly Recommended
"...From the moment he turns away from the piano and beams out at you, Mikolaj, a recent Polish immigrant to Chicago, grabs your heart. Winningly played by Michael Mahler as a man with guileless charm, Mikolaj has the enthusiasm of a new immigrant. He posseses an irrepressible cheery optimism that could easily be annoying on almost anyone else, and a warmth that glows as if it is centered in his core and leaking out through his skin."
Chicago Culture Authority
- Highly Recommended
"...There are several things that make American Blues Theater's latest show, The Last Wide Open, special and a must-see for fans of Chicago theater delivered in the generous, heart-on-its-sleeve storefront style."
