Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"... For this play to work, you have to see why this miserable pair married in the first place and understand what went wrong when. That remains unclear -- these actors drop their characters down in quite different universes."
Chicago Sun Times
- Recommended
"...The play, already seen in London and on Broadway, is now in its first-rate Chicago debut at Northlight Theatre, where director BJ Jones has assembled an ideal cast."
Pioneer Press
- Recommended
"...This fine, well-conceived and Tony Award-nominated play about complex domestic relationships succeeds in developing the story of each of the three characters: the uncommunicative husband and his passionate wife (neither heroes nor villains) and the adult child caught between. Kudos to director B.J. Jones and scenic designer Linda Buchanan for excellent pacing and especially effective muted staging -- framed by bleak, skeletal tree branches -- that sets the tone for the play."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Days before their 33rd anniversary, Edward rears up and tells Alice he's leaving her for another woman. The rest is an engaging, disquieting look at an ostensibly good marriage that never should have happened. B.J. Jones's production turns on Rondi Reed, who couldn't be better as Alice: charming, boisterous, blunt--and emotionally tone-deaf. See this show with someone you've loved."
Windy City Times
- Highly Recommended
"...The Retreat from Moscow is about as perfect a production as a theater-goer could hope for. B.J. Jones’ direction is subtle, sensitive, and always hits just the right emotional chords without ever lapsing into sentimentality. Rondi Reed, as a woman desperately ( and often pathetically ) battling the death of a three-decade-long marriage is her usual thespian self: brilliant, inspired, captivating ( even when she’s being obnoxious and this character would test the mettle of a saint ) , and often funny as hell."
Time Out Chicago
- Recommended
"...in Northlight’s production we have Rondi Reed, the actress with the magical bellows who can breathe fire into the chilliest of stories. Her work here—as Alice, a jilted woman whose overbearing tendencies may have suffocated her husband but who still doesn’t deserve the boot—has nearly surgical precision. Under Jones’s cagey direction, Reed conjures up that rare theatrical animal, a character who actually changes in front of you."
ChicagoCritic
- Recommended
"...The superb performances from Rondi Reed, who mixes hysteria with stinging humor and Anderson Matthews’ eloquence and mild manner and John Hoogenakker’s controlled strength, make Retreat From Moscow an immensely moving drama."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...Their fireworks and complimentary performances light up the Northlight stage. Where Reed's Alice pushes and probes, Matthews' Edward shrinks back into a personal reservoir of pain and anguish. John Hoogenakker capably completes the family triangle as their son Jamie, who must balance his feelings and allegiance for both parents while staying "out of the line of fire." BJ Jones beautifully balances the pain and bitterness with the play's lighter side, painting a beautiful image of light and shadows. Northlight's season finale is a superb achievement."
