Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...Hats is a great deal more than a vanity show. It's no formative groundbreaker, God knows, but it's a classy little music-and-comedy celebration, produced at a laudably high level."
Chicago Sun Times
- Somewhat Recommended
"...With a predictable book by Marcia Milgrom Dodge and Anthony Dodge, and a score that stitches together songs by 18 composers and lyricists (many well-known), "Hats!" is a vehicle for Melissa Manchester, a major pop star of the 1970s and '80s."
SouthtownStar
- Somewhat Recommended
"...With its specific appeal to women of a certain age, this show is not for everyone. The three men who were in the audience of the presentation I attended seemed lost in a sea of women. And younger theatergoers may not connect with its characters. But for those who believe it is never too late to start again, "Hats" may be just the uplift they're looking for."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...If you can tolerate groupthink, you might enjoy this musical for over-50 gals, which has a few good numbers, notably the patter song "I Don't Want" and the poignant "Just Like Me" and "Invisible." But you have to overlook a lot. Like racist stereotypes: only the Latina and African-American characters are still "spicy." (At least they flaunt their sexuality instead of whining about losing it.) Then there's the sexism: women are depicted as devoted shoppers and slavish wives who branch out by learning golf so they can spend more time with hubby. And if you don't buy into this condescending crap, it's implied, you're in denial."
Windy City Times
- Recommended
"...The Red Hat leagues were out on opening night, radiant as petunias in full bloom. But rogue dowagers in the mood for a gynecentric pep rally ( including men unruffled by bawdy humor engendered thereof, as in a song rhyming “stimulated,” “penetrated” and “lubricated” ) can also enjoy this one-stop girls’ night out. Isn’t having fun with nobody to stop you what a “certain age” is all about?"
Gay Chicago Magazine
- Recommended
"...Hats!,” currently playing at the Royal George Theatre main stage, is a delightful show. The performers, including Rosalyn Kerins, Vickie Daignault, Alene Robertson, Kate Young, Laura Walls and Marilyn Bogetich, are topnotch, with just the right amount of silliness mixed in with a few select moments of poignancy. And it’s nice to see on a cast of older, “big-boned” women, a sight not often seen on a Chicago stage."
EpochTimes
- Recommended
"...This is not a musical that the world will talk about for years to come, but it is an entertaining 90 minutes with some solid performances and some very tender moments as these women set out to convince MaryAnne, who is just about to turn 50 that turning 50 is an adventure into the second half of ones life. While most would classify this is a show for women, I found it very entertaining and was very impressed by the stellar cast."
ChicagoCritic
- Not Recommended
"...Sophisticated women who enjoy musical theatre will find this show filled with poor singers doing lame tunes filled with ersatz unmemorable and unoriginal tunes that remind one of a senior cruise ship act. There is nothing smart, sassy or musically interesting in this whiny one theme show."
