Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Better yet, Tammy Mader's choreography is a delightful riff on social dance. Abby Mueller, a long-time Chicago favorite who has been out of town for some time and whose vocal prowess has only increased, is the consummate Milly, replete with all the requisite strength and pseudo-maternal charm. Mueller, who has nary a fake bone in her body, nearly knocks herself out trying to shade that seduction scene and find a counterbalance to all of these moments when men carry off willing women."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Roberta Duchak's impeccable musical direction and a golden-toned pit orchestra give full voice to the show's exuberant score. And Kevin Depinet's grand-scale set, including snow-capped mountains and avalanche (beautifully lit by Jesse Klug), are enhanced by Kathryn Rohe's costumes. In fact, you can almost feel winter melting into spring in this production."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...This potentially controversial material is handled with grace and humor, both on paper and in Bill Jenkins's strong, subtle production. It doesn't hurt that Jenkins packed his show with experienced talents (including the unsinkable Renee Matthews), a fresh-faced newcomer (Katie Huff), and a pair of leads (Steve Blanchard and Abby Mueller) who know how to command attention without going over the top."
Copley News Service
- Highly Recommended
"...Now the Drury Lane Theatre is presenting its own take on “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” melding the movie with earlier versions and its own revisions. The musical is still no masterpiece, but I’ll wager it does great business at Drury Lane, where the current production should be a thorough audience pleaser."
Centerstage
- Recommended
"...Amidst swirling fiddle melodies and a flurry of calico, petticoats and bloomers, director Bill Jenkins takes audiences back to a more innocent, romantic time. This sweetly old-fashioned musical evokes not only 1850s Oregon, but 1954, when the Oscar-nominated MGM movie version first delighted audiences. Based on the Jane Powell/Howard Keel film, and remembered primarily for Michael Kidd's athletically choreographed modern ballets, Drury Lane's production is a nostalgic throwback to a safer era."
ShowBizChicago
- Recommended
"...At the tiller of the sinuous blast is actress Abby Mueller as Milly. Arguably too long presiding as Chicago musical theatre’s best kept (and kept under) secret, Mueller accords the downtrodden wife with an engrossing sense of physical and emotional power. One receives the sense that despite an ever demoting existence, Milly captains her own concept of sexual liberation and veracity. With a brightly soaring mezzo voice that provides such unctuous ditties as “Wonderful, Wonderful Day” with veritable emotionality, Mueller nods to the still buried heights that this production could reach. It is at once a stand-out and captivating performance, and if you are one with the kind of sensibility to cherish those late-night Turner Classic Movie marathons, it is one alongside a production that is not to be missed."
ChicagoCritic
- Recommended
"...Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is a safe bet for a nice fun evening of musical theatre. It is a family friendly, light fare aimed to please. The dancers will amaze you."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Recommended
"...Raunchily revived by Bill Jenkins, the show requires kick-ass, awesomely athletic choreography from Tammy Mader for a fast-moving musical refuses to bore. The hoedown should never let up or the energy never drop enough for us to wonder what would really happen in a town where half the womenfolk are stolen away and presumably ravished before the spring thaw. Let's hope the 15 (yes, Millie is pregnant) had enough food to last them the winter. Remember the Donners). Better to dwell on the innocence of such lyrics as the guys' love-lorn "A man can't sleep when he sleeps with sheep.""
Around The Town Chicago
- Recommended
"...Kevin Depinet’s set is magic on its own, as it is the town, a barn and the house with just the slightest of changes and the backdrop of the mountains and the trees is a picture of beauty, which helps to frame the love story that we are watching. For a production to be complete, it takes more than just a director,choreographer,musical director, actors, singers, dancers and set designer. The lighting (Jesse Klug), sound ( Ray Nardelli),Costumes ( Kathryn Rohe), props ( Joel Lambie) and wigs ( an important part of a period play-Kaity Licina) and in this case, fight choreographer ( John Tovar) made the production complete. A very impressive production from a not so special script or score. Hats off to the Desantis family for putting the heart and soul of their people into making a so-so play into a wonderful evening of entertainment."
Chicago Theater Beat
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Like the film, this production is propelled by its dancing, but bodies in movement can’t overcome all the flaws of the writing. The changes to the film give the story a more modern context, and the attempt to psychoanalyze the characters through song removes much of the musical’s charm. Drury Lane’s Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is a polished, well-performed production, but the questionable source material prevents it from rising to true greatness."
