Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...Rick Snyder’s initially forced production, which would have benefited from better fight choreography and a more interesting and extensive set, starts out sketchily and skids too much on the mannered surface of the real human drama. But once the show’s hinges belatedly starts to stick, the performances get deeper, the pace gets faster, the ambiance gets more truthful, and the show gets progressively better."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Philip (Gary Houston) is the depressive expert who owns a stamp shop. Dennis (Dan Kuhlman) is his failed protege with a feel for others' weaknesses. And Sterling (Lance Baker) is the fanatic collector. All five actors are ideally cast and make every second of the play snap, crackle and pop as "the takers" and "the taken" duke it out. It's not pretty, but it emits a pretty irresistible scent of blood."
Windy City Times
- Somewhat Recommended
"...I believe Mauritius is intended to be a brutal and arch high comedy, but it's not always played as such in this production. Director Snyder has chosen to develop the crackling tension of the work and its numerous power reversals rather than its full comic potential. It's a valid choice, although I don't entirely agree with it even as skillfully played by Gary Houston (masterly acerbic as Philip) , Suzanne Lang (wonderfully thick as Mary) and Dan Kuhlman (sleazily ingratiating as Dennis) in addition to Adams and Baker."
Chicago Free Press
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Like David Mamet’s superior “American Buffalo” (where the intrigue centered on a rare coin), “Mauritius” is tough stuff with crude characters. Its aggression is very accessible as the tug of war between sisters and collectors tumbles to a satisfactory ending. But Rick Snyder’s rampaging staging overheats what’s already boiling, ignoring the desperation behind the characters in favor of their more immediate and obvious hunger and hatred."
EpochTimes
- Highly Recommended
"...We have mystery! We have intrigue! We have philately (stamp collecting)! We have a family torn apart! We have greed! We have comedic moments! We have fighting! We have a strong cast! I guess the best way to describe the production is- one that should be seen""
Centerstage
- Highly Recommended
"...you should see this part-mystery and part-action drama play for the talented acting ensemble. Rebeck's dialogue is stimulating, intelligently savvy and full of unexpected humor. Her characters are realistic, strong-willed adversaries for what befalls them: An uncompromising and defiantly courageous Ms. Adams provides a strong foil for Ms. Lang's snobbish, loquacious stepsister and Baker's dangerously intimidating Sterling. Enigmatic Dennis sticks to wheeling and dealing throughout the play, and Gary Houston's smug, quietly understated Phillip makes you want to smack him. However when the fireworks start, take cover. Stamp collecting has never been so dangerous."
Time Out Chicago
- Recommended
"...This fair-shake examination of American entitlement and the social etiquette of hustlers is sometimes acted with more adrenalin than specificity. Director Snyder doesn’t quite bring the slick, sick precision he did last year over at little Profiles Theatre to the black corporate satire Men of Tortuga. In particular, the complicated, frequently impeccable Baker, stepping far out of his comfort zone into a broad caricature role, takes at least half the evening to disappear completely into the part of an oily, pin-striped tiger shark. But he finds his buffed-wing-tip footing in a kinky negotiation scene to fine effect."
ChicagoCritic
- Recommended
"... Dan Kuhlman’s Dennis is charismatic while Lance Baker is superb as the villainous Sterling. Anne Adams is terrific as the underestimated Jackie. She is equal to the male conmen in chutzpah until the vary end. This mystery will keep you locked until the end. Then you’ll debate the play’s loose ends."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...Mauritius was named one of Time Magazine’s Top Ten Plays of 2007 and was considered a “gripping blend of sharp comedy and heart pounding drama that combines the best aspects of Hitchcock, Chandler and Mamet.” Many of the characters echo Mamet works like "American Buffalo," but Rebeck gives her characters tremendous brains and thinking capacity, making them all potentially dangerous unless some higher power steps in. They’re basically good people with a character flaw or two that you try desperately to overlook."
