Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...the scenes between Martha Lavey, the Steppenwolf artistic director who plays the boy’s mother, and Stephen Louis Grush, the promising young actor who plays her son, are the most interesting and best written aspects of an otherwise less-than-credible play."
Chicago Sun Times - Not Recommended
"...As denials turn into confessions, the class struggle is laid bare and the true nature of Brandon's sexuality becomes clear. Then there's a twist that only makes the plot feel more forced. Grush and Rock do everything they can to make their characters feel good and true, and to some extent succeed. But the play fails everyone."
SouthtownStar - Somewhat Recommended
"...Director Pam MacKinnon keeps the action moving; Todd Rosenthal's lovely set conjures up a tree-lined quadrangle of a preppy New England school; Nan Cibula-Jenkins' costume design recalls the time period; and Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen's sound design creates an emotional soundtrack for the play."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s Good Boys and True, now receiving its world premiere at Steppenwolf, is a solid addition to the canon. It’s a suspenseful mystery, compassionate character study, and moving love story rolled into one—and a fine showcase for an ensemble of first-rate actors."
Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...As staged by Pam MacKinnon (viewed at the final preview) , Good Boys and True is understated in the extreme, even unenergized. Everything’s conversational with few emotional highs and little range in vocal dynamics. But even a highly naturalistic work has, and needs in presentation, some peaks and valleys, some moments of acting dazzle and emotional intensity (whether loud or soft) and these are decidedly lacking, although the more-than-competent cast grasps the characters well."
Chicago Free Press - Recommended
"...What distinguishes “Good Boys and True” from modern moral melodramas is its willingness to show how class influences—and often deforms—character: Unearned privilege corrupts a personality as much as celebrity worship or overnight fame."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...Good Boys takes its sensitivity to economic privilege seriously. Instead of the wealthy bitching about their plight—the primary trend of nonprofit plays in the past decade—here they keep pointedly quiet about it. There are frightening consequences for that, too, the playwright shows us; the things for which prep school really preps you are pretty scary."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Martha Lavey and Stephen Louis Grush were effective in the mother-son scenes. Kelly O’Sullivan, as Cheryl, was excellent as the poor high school student. The story has a workable structure and a nice piece of story telling. Roberto Aguirre-Scasa is a playwright with promise."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...While this reviewer will not divulge the many plot twists and outcome, be prepared for an engrossing drama that heightens suspense as it moves along and wherein not everything is what it seems. Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey brings the perfect balance of maternal protection and truth seeking to the role of Elizabeth Hardy, and there is fine work from Stephen Louis Grush, Tim Rock and Kelly O'Sullivan. As Oscar Wilde once observed, the truth is rarely pure and never simple, but the search for it can be powerful and dramatic."
