Chicago Tribune
- Not Recommended
"...as the play flits back and forth from Jade's childhood to her teenage years to her getting a doctorate (thankfully, Cooper has at least made her a Chaucer specialist, not a math geek), the chronology gets squashed and confused, and you're never quite sure from which points she narrates. Then again, when the track is so set in iron, that doesn't much matter."
Chicago Sun Times
- Recommended
"...Rich in pathos and wit, with some neat little plot turns and many zesty performances, "Jade Heart," deftly directed by Russ Tutterow, certainly exerts an emotional pull with its look at various notions of abandonment and alienation. But often Cooper's scenes seem too neatly constructed -- designed primarily to illustrate his ideas."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Cooper shows how the gap between Jade's birth and breeding tears her apart, and Russ Tutterow's staging helps drive home the pain. But the script attempts to conceal exposition behind fantasy episodes and contrived quarrels, and illustrates what should be dramatized. Though Bunuan and McDermott are convincing, they can barely hold their own against these flaws."
Windy City Times
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Christine Bunuan and Ginger Lee McDermott march through their 90 minutes of sudsy chronologically-muddled paces with heroic stamina, while Eliza Shin, Gordon Chow and Melissa Canciller lend refreshing individuality to the various—and far more interesting—auxiliary personnel, all displaying pristine Mandarin pronunciation contributed by dialect coach Cleo Ngiam. But while audiences eager to join the playwright in sentimentalizing the ( yawn ) Mysterious East will find Jade Heart a satisfying three-hankie blubber, ultimately its overwrought emotional tone eclipses whatever discoveries may have once lay in its premise."
Time Out Chicago
- Recommended
"...
McDermott gives the role a brittle, barely contained neediness that says more about the relationship between some single parents and their children than it does about adoption issues. While the charming Bunuan possesses the physical vocabulary to convincingly play both a child and a young adult, her character isn’t written with the same clarity. Having followed her through unformed youth and the rote self-righteousness of teenhood, Cooper leaves little space for an adult Jade to emerge."
ChicagoCritic
- Highly Recommended
"...Under Ross Tutterow’s fine direction, Brenda and Jade provide wonderful foils for each other, moving from the extremes of love/hate to a wonderful rapprochement. Bunuan’s mobile face captures a host of varied emotions and both her skill and small size make her believable playing any age. McDermott powerfully creates a brittle, troubled mother who cannot shape the relationship to her preconceived wishes. The excellent cast is rounded out by Shin, Gordon Chow and Melissa Canciller in multiple roles."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Recommended
"...I love the story and the production with the exception of being uneasy with some of the flashbacks not being clear. The only other possible change would be to just run the entire play with no intermission. It runs about 95 minutes and by not taking the break, the audience would not lose the storyline or focus. The lighting by Jeff Pines, costumes by Samantha C. Jones, sound by Michael Griggs and props (of which no detail was spared) by Jennifer J. Thusing all made this a tight, powerful story and just in time to kick off Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Chicago Dramatists, now in its 30th year, has done it again."
Chicago Theater Beat
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Russ Tutterow’s direction keeps the show moving. Nothing really lags here, even though Wheeler often writes in circles. The play does get a push towards the second act, and it finally feels like we are covering new territory. Some of the abstract choices make the world interesting as well; the dialogues between Jade and the mom in her mind are probably the most innovative part of the script and production. Unfortunately, even though the Jade Heart sets itself some very important narratives (identity, culture, assimilation) it doesn’t say anything new about any of them. Everyone involved attempts to drive the story forward, but there just isn’t a whole lot to hook onto."
