Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"...There are some dramaturgical holes in the show that need fixing before it goes to New York. Nadler never really sets up the context of the original song, leaving some people wondering where the heck it came from. And his smart notions of the interconnectedness of the musical universe need much greater expansion. He might also lose an irritating clicker that drives one completely bananas. But most of all, he needs to settle down, dial it down a few notches, and find more quieter moments to explore."
Chicago Sun Times
- Recommended
"...In the more developed sequences he already is hugely compelling -- particularly his haunting twining of Frank Loesser's "Ugly Duckling" and Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake," and his fierce rendering of Guettel's "Icarus." His conjuring of Russia's eccentric group "The Five," the impact of Stalin's dictates and the whole notion of whose music survives and whose fades are all wonderfully woven into this high-speed, 90-minute chase of a show. And the story of his childhood (Jewish kid in Iowa, where his parents settled, as he quips, "because they wanted to feel as despised as they were in the Old Country") is classic."
SouthtownStar
- Recommended
"...While this hoot of a show, directed by Mark Waldrop, has its own fascinating rhythm, Nadler could help his case by toning down his over-the-top frantic rush and what comes across as a needy attempt to ingratiate himself with his audience."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...New York cabaret star Mark Nadler fittingly begins his delightful solo show with the novelty song "Tschaikowsky," which made Danny Kaye a star when he sang it on Broadway in 1941. Like Kaye, Nadler is a master of the tongue-twisting patter song ("Tschaikowsky" is a rapid-fire rundown of the names of 49 Slavic composers). He also possesses powerful piano chops, a robust baritone, and an antic wit."
Windy City Times
- Recommended
"...Certainly, someone who can tap and shuffle with his feet while simultaneously massaging the ivories and warbling in triple-forte deserves some sort of award for sheer stuntwork. And if Nadler sometimes comes off like an overachieving schoolboy showing off for his mother's clubfellows, no one can deny that he keeps his promise to send us home smarter than when we arrived."
Chicago Free Press
- Somewhat Recommended
"...There’s an interesting soft shoe going on at the Royal George mainstage right now. Well, two, really: Pianist/singer/comedian Mark Nadler delivers some soft-shoe while playing piano during his one-man show, “Russian on the Side.” It’s a clever bit, down to the details of the brightly colored Elvin shoes. But it also encapsulates, metaphorically, the bizarre balancing act going on with this production: Nadler, it seems, can do just about anything and somehow make it look effortless—yet he simultaneously seems to be trying too hard."
Gay Chicago Magazine
- Recommended
"...Nadler sings beautifully, moves like a gazelle, and he’s funny. He knocks out a vaudevillesque “sand dance” while playing the piano. Singer/pianists face the challenge of becoming stuck behind the keyboard. Nadler overcomes this challenge in delightful ways: he stands on the piano, sits Indian style on the lid, and even slithers across it on his belly."
EpochTimes
- Somewhat Recommended
"...This is a show that is preparing to move to New York and Broadway. While it is here in town, I am sure that our audiences will help in the reshaping of certain moments and help Mr. Nadler get his show better for that trip. Our audiences are solid and if a performer/writer/director really wants the best show possible, all they need do is pay attention to the reaction of a Chicago audience. They will tell you how to do it better!"
Copley News Service
- Recommended
"...In the end, “Russian on the Side” is carried by Nadler’s enthusiasm and his piano playing. Once again, one would have wished for a more extended instrumental treatment of familiar Russian pieces instead of scattering brief excerpts from Russian second-raters throughout the evening. Nadler has his talents as a raconteur and vocalist, but the big pay-off in his show flows from his skill at the keyboard."
Time Out Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...ultimately the show is undone by the disconnect between Nadler’s lively lecture and the show tunes that punctuate it. Indeed, these halves often seem to have been constructed separately and then unevenly stitched together. Apart from some broad thematic similarities, we never get a clear sense of what Russian music has to do with Broadway."
ChicagoCritic
- Recommended
"...The show is so fast that Nadler sometimes appears to be in two places at once and the whole thing builds to thundering conclusion as he prepares the audience to sing along with the Ira Gershwin lyric that rhymes those impossible Russian names. It is camp; it is funny and it is an interesting new take on a well-worn genre. By the end of the show, the sweat is flying off Nadler and the audience is on its feet in resounding approval. It is unusual to compliment a comedian on his athleticism, but I can think of no other word to describe the orgasmic conclusion of Russian on the Side. It may not be a totally original piece, but Mark Nadler is someone that you really must see."
