Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Shinner’s production is clearly heartfelt but it compounds some of these issues. It needed a far simpler and more fluid theatrical metaphor—the characters all seem trapped in their own little boxes. Nobody seems to enjoy touching anyone else. The pace of the action is much too slow. And, above all, the mostly invulnerable actors (Graeff excepted) don’t really show you any of their emotional needs. Everyone seems pretty much the same at the end as they do at the start, even though they’ve all supposedly been through the wringer."
Chicago Sun Times
- Recommended
"...The sheer number and diversity of "languages" used in this play, now at Victory Gardens, is dizzying -- a reflection, no doubt, of Kapil's heritage (of Bulgarian and Indian descent, she grew up in Sweden, attended college in Canada and is now based in Minneapolis). But the clarity of the production is a tribute to director Sandy Shinner and her four intensely focused actors who never let the play become scrambled."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...But its essential subject is love, wisely, bravely exposed for what it really is: an act of will. Sandy Shinner's production elegantly pulls off the difficult logistics of integrating a sharp ensemble with Jeff Bauer's set and Mike Tutaj's projections of poetry, dialogue, and IMs. Cheryl Graeff pulls no punches as a desperate, somewhat dim, but passionate Vic; Liz Tannenbaum does some sensual signing as Free; and it's a pleasure to hear passages of poetry--W.S. Merwin’s translations from Sanskrit and Yeats's "When You Are Old"--offered in a way that makes their straightforward beauty clear."
Windy City Times
- Recommended
"...This theme could easily have been rendered lugubrious or, worse, pedantic, but Kapil takes full advantage of the humor intrinsic in mistaken-identity scenarios to ease any mental fatigue generated by her cognitive aerobics ( and give sharp-eyed spectators an opportunity to learn how to talk dirty in ASL ) . Rajesh Bose, Liz Tannebaum, Cheryl Graeff and Arlene Malinowski deftly sidestep stereotypes to create affable personalities deserving of our sympathies, while Sandy Shinner's direction and Jeff Bauer's scenic design keeps us always firmly oriented in this polyglot universe so reflective of our own increasingly complex world."
Copley News Service
- Recommended
"...The relationship between Free and Maggie works the best in the play, portraying how hearing and non-hearing women, both independent in spirit, can bond together and work through difficulties not faced by hearing partners. Arlene Malinowski holds up her end of the partnership with feeling and intelligence, not an easy feat with Liz Tannebaum’s scene stealing performance right next to her."
Centerstage
- Highly Recommended
"...Love Person is remarkably touching, with entrancing physicality and clever insights into the tenuous nature of seduction, as well as the struggles of seasoned relationships. It's difficult not to fall in love with each of the characters - their hypnotic allure, their crassness, the sometimes sordid urgency of their connections. Though the play itself is infused with large stretches of silence, the tension, turbulence and raw emotional fervor among the play's four characters can be felt bubbling throughout."
Time Out Chicago
- Recommended
"...With a keen attention to language, the playwright explores the inadequacy of translation: Ram, a student of Sanskrit poetry, apologizes constantly for his English, while Free resents Maggie’s speaking English to hearing people—it makes her signing sloppy. Yet the written word is as dazzling here as the spoken; long scenes go by in near silence, as Free signs with Maggie or IMs with Ram."
ChicagoCritic
- Recommended
"...The most interesting part of Love Person was the outstanding acting from Liz Tannebaum who demonstrates how strong a deaf person can convey emotions and truth without words. The use of signing never distracted like all the projected text messaging. it is too bad that we didn’t find out more about Maggie and Free’s relationshim. But as it plays, Love Person, is a unique 21st Century look into the struggles to communicate and make meaningful human contact. It is worth a look."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Recommended
"...There are a number of clichés in this script, but Shinner's direction and cast make it an enjoyable experience despite a script that uses many gimmicks. Although the e-mail and instant messaging as projected by designer Mike Tutaj and operator Rachel Robinson is adorable and the music and sound by Michael Griggs and Andre Pluess truly make this production work. Add the marvelous lighting effects by Christopher Ash and you have a well painted picture of journeys in love that seem impossible. But look around you, at work, on the bus, in the theater. Do all the couples you see seem right for each other? Perhaps not in your eyes or mind, but if they have chosen each other and can withstand the wear and tear of life and its struggles, they may be the perfect match."
Chicago Theater Beat
- Recommended
"...Love Person is unique in the way that it puts forth a multi-lingual performance. The three languages are used equally as lead languages. The audience is able to follow and fully absorb all forms of communication, which help deepen the impact of the performance. The script does a wonderful job at celebrating differences and poking fun and some humorous stereotypes. In particular, the scenes with Vic and Ram in Vic’s bedroom will make you chuckle."
