Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...This is an exceedingly clever and inventive piece of writing that retains the essential leanness of classical drama with its two- and three-person scenes. It also manages to weave gods and myths into the landscape without crashing incongruities. Assuming one changes the economic circumstances, Haiti, with its love of carnival, voodoo and its complex cultural history, is an ideal stand-in for a Greek city-state that drew its power from dominance of the water and its myths from prior civilizations."
Chicago Sun Times
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Its world premiere production, which opened Saturday at Lookingglass Theatre under the direction of Laura Eason, has a certain hip and flashy appeal, with a few four-letter words tossed in. And it is awash in vivid stage pictures. But the acting is uneven, and Brooks' fantastical take on Haiti's leadership ultimately feels a whole lot less decadent, overheated and theatrical than the real story of Haiti and the reigns of Papa Doc and Baby Doc in the late 1950s, '60s and '70s. This is a clear case where the use of history might have enriched the story."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Brooks sacrifices the shattering power of Racine's play by locating the engine of the characters' destruction outside of their own heads and hearts. However much the characters may blame the gods for their suffering, the tragedy is more effective if we get the sense that they unravel from within. Brooks undermines this by making Aphrodite a character—who, in Laura Eason's staging, paces about on a platform above the Mediterranean-style blue-and-white set whenever anybody mentions the gods. At climactic moments, she even controls Fedra's words and movement as if the queen were the helpless puppet of a capricious child. This minimizes Fedra's guilt and takes the story out of the realm of multifaceted tragedy and back into static myth."
Windy City Times
- Not Recommended
"...'The king is dead. The son is lost. The queen is mad,' reads the breathless tag line to J. Nicole Brooks' Afrocentric adaption of Fedra. To which we might add, "The play is ridiculous." With the depth of Cliffs Notes and the aesthetic of a cheesy 1970s Vogue shoot, Fedra is also laughably strained in its attempts to bring a hip, urban edge to an ancient Greek tragedy."
Chicago Free Press
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Unfortunately, Fedra boils over into chaos too quickly; neither Brooks’ script nor Laura Eason’s direction allows enough time for Fedra’s turmoil to simmer. Thankfully, Lisa Tejero lends some calculating brains to Fedra’s heart-driven histrionics, while the always-watchable Anthony Fleming makes an excellent tragic hero. (He even nails a silly but entertaining twitching shtick.) Morocco Omari injects a roaring new energy when his Theseus arrives. As Afrodite (whose hair aptly matches her name’s new spelling), Tamberla Perry looks fabulous and gestures dramatically. It all plays out with typically gorgeous Lookingglass visuals, including Meghan Raham’s set, Christine Binder’s lights and Alison Siple’s costumes—and the stakes feel as dire and dangerous as can be, thanks partly to the actors’ commitment to Matthew Hawkins’ killer fight choreography."
Copley News Service
- Recommended
"...Meghan Raham designed a set that serves as several rooms in the palace, depending on the props, along with an upper level platform. Christine Binder designed the dramatic lighting, Alison Siple the eclectic and colorful costumes, and Joshua Horvath the sound. Director Laura Eason is a co-conspirator with the author in allowing the wrong headed comic bits to intrude on the intense thrust of the narrative."
Chicagoist
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Although Brooks sets the story in the future, she uses urban slang that can be heard on the streets of Chicago today. We don’t know if antiquated is the right word, but phrases like “son of a bitch,” while amusing, don’t seem to fit the futuristic setting. She also uses DVDs and the soy diet fad as time signifiers; however for Brooks, DVDs have vanished in the future while Fedra still enjoys soy food. It just doesn’t add up."
Chicago Stage Review
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The lack of dramatic depth and the lack of believable chemistry between most of the characters render the production emotionally flat. There is no nuance. You never feel that their lives and stories existed prior to the lights going up and the dialogue beginning. The production values are lovely but the appropriately vivid color schemes coupled with the two-dimensional characterizations create a staged cartoon. It’s fun to watch but you don’t believe it."
Time Out Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Fedra’s concision comes with its own cost. Without wallowing in the depths of her erotically charged despair, Fedra, as played by Brooks, seems merely fickle and vindictive. No doubt those are fair descriptions, but Racine’s fraught language lends grandeur to her flaws. Brooks’s version, by contrast, seems relatively perfunctory. None of its signature events carries a cathartic heft. The piece stays at the level of its decorous pool: a seductive spot for toe dipping but nowhere anyone could drown."
ChicagoCritic
- Not Recommended
"...Lookingglass Theater is well know for taking risks — mounting plays that stretch the limits of imagination and open new dramatic frontiers. Unfortunately, this time the company’s reach exceeded its grasp."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...Directed by veteran Laura Eason, this production is smooth and without error. The use of the theater at lookingglass, one that can be any size facing any direction is something that Eason manages with great skill. The set by Meghan Raham is one of simplicity and never takes away from the action going on the stage. Christine Binder's lighting and Joshua Horvath's sound all work well in bringing this story to life and the music composed by Kevin O'Donnell sets the tone."
