Muse Of Fire presented by Hat City Music Theater at Stage 773

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...unless one is performing such a piece for fellow alumni, one must draw bigger pictures from one's own experience. And that's where "Muse of Fire" hits serious trouble. Neither Katz nor Bruck is a household name. We appreciate in the first five minutes that this guy was a tough but great teacher -- but that's insufficient to sustain the rest of the show."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Certainly, Muse of Fire will appeal most strongly to music fans. But anyone whose life has been shaped by conflict and communication with a difficult parent or teacher or boss or lover should find Katz’s virtuosic performance moving as well as illuminating."

Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended

"...And then there's the music, selected for familiarity—Dukas, Grieg, Mendelssohn, Debussy and, of course, Wagner—accompanied by a slide-show of famous conductors wearing characteristically ecstatic expressions. We may not all go home as enamored of Maestro Bruck as Katz, but the allegretto running time of 100 minutes ( with one intermission ) nevertheless offers a wealth of enjoyment even for those who don't know Borodin from Bugs Bunny."

EpochTimes - Highly Recommended

"...This is truly a love story between these men and how each learned from the other and how no matter the turns their lives took, they were connected by their feel of the music they loved. It doesn't matter if you are into classical music or not, this story is one of beauty and the performance by Mr. Katz is a theatrical experience that I am happy I was able to share with the audience with me at tonight's performance."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...You’ve got to take his impersonation on faith, but Katz delivers two fully inhabited, carefully differentiated portrayals. His limitations peek through during the physically awkward climax, which doesn’t quite read without the helpful libretto, but his exegetic passion for the gorgeous music triumphs even here. And, in a weird twist, this is as much a fitting memorial to the late showbiz eccentric Charles Nelson Reilly, the who-knew operatic director whose last project this was."

ChicagoCritic - Not Recommended

"...David Katz works hard and succeeds in instilling his passion for music and his love for Charles Bruck. I still can’t understand why. Students of classical music may relate to this play, I can’t."