Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"... The costumes are a riot. And whenever that disco ball spins, the audience surely has a good time. But this isn't one of Black Ensemble's strongest shows. It feels like the production process was rushed."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Those Sensuous Seductive '70s is a slam dunk. On opening night, Taylor had the audience's complete attention from the first song as they swayed, clapped and sang along to the popular, free-lovin' music of the decade. It's a parade of songs by the likes of Donna Summer, Roberta Flack, Natalie Cole, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Barry White, Al Green, Minnie Riperton, the Spinners, Michael Jackson and Chaka Khan."
Daily Herald
- Recommended
"...The show sounds great. Writer/director Taylor and music director Kenny Anderson have assembled a first-rate vocal ensemble backed by a tight septet and dominated by a quartet of petite women with powerhouse voices. Stephanie Booth soars into the stratosphere with her delicate, sexy version of Minnie Ripperton's 'Loving You,' and Marilyn Grimes brings an earthy maturity to 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.'"
SouthtownStar
- Highly Recommended
"...This new musical revue -- written and directed by Jackie Taylor, the theater company's indefatigable artistic director -- is another exuberant, nostalgic blast down musical memory lane sure to be another box office blockbuster."
Chicago Reader
- Recommended
"...The narrative framework is remarkably flimsy: three generations of a family spend a weekend in the 70s watching Soul Train, getting frisky, and saying whatever it takes to lead into the next musical number ("You know, I've loved you from the first time ever I saw your face"). But as is often the case with Black Ensemble, the show's redeemed by the music, well selected and thrillingly performed, whether by fresh interpretation or inspired mimicry."
Windy City Times
- Somewhat Recommended
"...whether due to problems with copyright clearance, overly narrow thematic focus or the actual zeitgeist of the years representing a cooling-off period after the previous decade’s upheaval, Those Sensuous Seductive ‘70s falls short of its prototype."
EpochTimes
- Recommended
"...he story is not up to her usual quality, but the music is so good and the performers so powerful, who cares if their is a story at all- we of my generation know the music and the audience on opening night was truly into it. The shows at Black Ensemble Theater are always a treat with great choices in music, great musicians ( under the awesome leadership of Kenny Anderson), a talented ensemble and the heart and soul of Ms Taylor."
Time Out Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Rather than sticking to this formula, which would have worked dandy a second time, Taylor patches the tunes together with vague and random padding, scenes that vacillate from a Soul Train episode to a family living through the ’70s. And the song selection is a wash; the throbbing disco in the first half makes it hard to stay in your seat, but it gives way to less engaging, slower soul in the second."
ChicagoCritic
- Recommended
"...Black Ensemble Theater’s musical arrangements and talents do justice to the era and the artists, so disco is served nicely in this show. Lovers of this ear will clap and tap their toes in this high energy show."
