A Gulag Mouse presented by Babes With Blades at Trap Door Theatre

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...as playwright Arthur Jolly demonstrates in this taut drama about a night in a cramped women's barracks, survival in the camps often required its own brand of combat--an animalistic fight to the death with cruel guards and desperate fellow prisoners over extra rations and better jobs. Brian Plocharczyk's staging and David Woolley's fight choreography have a convincing savagery, but a dumb twist ending nearly spoils all that comes before it."

Windy City Times - Recommended

"...director Brian Plocharczyk refuses to allow the dramatic ambience to descend into hankie-wringing bathos ( or, worse, B-movie camp ) , while fight choreographer David Woolley reins in the copious, but never gratuitous, violence to keep it well within the realm of gritty realism. These factors, coupled with uniformly restrained performances by the six-member cast, serve to reaffirm the Babes With Blades troupe's departure from rough-and-tumble romps toward serious artistry."

Centerstage - Highly Recommended

"...The play's conclusion is unexpected; depending on personal taste, one will find it either trite or powerful, I fall into the latter camp and strongly recommend this moving and well-realized show."

Chicago Stage Review - Recommended

"...As it stands, this show is well worth your time. This is a cast that is so driven, intuitive and intelligence that, even without more discerning direction, there a strong signs they will more fully and believably inhabit their parts and the story with each passing performance. Harmon has the potential for iniquitous brilliance and Babes With Blades production of A Gulag Mouse has the potential for theatrical excellence."

Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"... At least when the blades come up, the Babes manage to disturb. Fight director David Woolley’s violence is appropriately claustrophobic and brutal for the self-described animals clawing each other for a spot closer to the store. An excellently staged throat slitting and fine performances from company members Gillian Humiston and Stephanie Repin squeeze genuine empathy out of a story that never earns it, though the Babes deserve it. Fostering more diverse scripts for women who kick ass: noble and necessary. Hopefully Mouse will be a minor road bump."

Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended

"...Babes With Blades is close, so close, to having it all come together perfectly. There’s still some unevenness in the casting and a bit of woodenness in the acting. All these fierce women actors need is just a little more technique to sharpen the spontaneity of their performances and they would have a devastating production on their hands. Powerful women actors in powerful roles doing physically powerful things on stage—it’s almost all there. And what is there, while not perfect, is definitely worth seeing. So whether you want to support the Babes in their endeavors or you’re just looking for a smart, thrilling ride, A Gulag Mouse will not disappoint."