Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Alex Levy's premiere production displays an expansively epic sensibility. But the pacing slows to molasses in the endless second act. And the staging needs a lot more edge and zip. Several of the individual performances -- Wilson, Teamer, Heather Ireland as a youthful femme fatale -- have promise. But few scenes really cook as if they're in the heat of newsrooms fueled by race, ego, anger and conflicting responsibilities."
Chicago Sun Times
- Recommended
"...Director Alex Levy has done a solid job of making most of the pieces fit. There is much to be mined — and much in need of refining — in Black Caesar."
Daily Herald
- Recommended
"...Inspired by "Citizen Kane" and "Julius Caesar," David Barr III's promising but uneven examination of race, power, journalism and politics is about an imposing publisher of an influential black newspaper who inflames racial prejudice to accomplish his political goals and the one-time protégé trying to uncover the truth behind the man."
SouthtownStar
- Not Recommended
"...Black Caesar has enormous possibilities. Besides a tighter focus in the script, it would help if director Alex Levy could put some sizzle into the show with more action. The scenes in the newsrooms, designed by Jack Magaw, seem so tepid and slow-moving that they lack any credibility or excitement."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Director Alex Levy completes the debacle by failing--just for instance--to make sense of the script's hopscotching chronology. Jack Magaw's scenic design is the show's one smoothly functioning element."
Windy City Times
- Not Recommended
"...A problem with Black Caesar is that it lacks a “Rosebud” catch-phrase mystery to properly propel the action. Another flaw is the all-encompassing power and wealth Barr gives Caesar, which feels out of place today with real tough financial times The Chicago Defender and the entire newspaper industry have faced with the rise of the Internet."
Time Out Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...It’s a shame the obviously capable seven-person cast in Pegasus’ production struggles to flesh out its characters, because there’s a compelling legend here worth representing. But Caesar’s story and the more sweeping issues that Barr tries to inflame here—particularly black-advocacy journalism—are flattened into a landscape of similes and metaphors. Wilson does master Caesar’s shifts from visionary to manipulator, but because of all the clutter we never discover what Caesar’s “Rosebud” truly is."
ChicagoCritic
- Recommended
"...Once Barr trims the show and arrives at a clear focus, Black Caesar will emerge as a first-rate bio-drama. As presented, it needs a faster pace and actors in command of their lines. Hopefully, that will emerge as the run continues. Take note of this drama, it contains issues worth thinking about."
