Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...You don't really feel that these discoveries are happening in the moment — Orlando's voyage seems preordained — and thus the stakes do not rise as they should. What Orlando wants at a given moment can and does change, and the character is remarkably unfazed throughout. But the show has to have more urgency of rhythm and a stronger sense of danger. It can't look prepackaged. Time and again, lines that suggest whopping emotional change seem to be rushed over in favor of the next visual moment. Carle's signature honesty is, frankly, underexploited. I could have done without the precious, veiled nude scene if it had been replaced by more immediate insight into what was transpiring in her man's mind and woman's body, in the here and now."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Ruhl and company have taken on a huge task. That it doesn't fully succeed is less of a comment on their talent than a tribute to the fierce, omnivorous pen that created Orlando."
Chicago Stage Review - Recommended
"...The sterling cast holds you firmly in its grip and carries you through the time traveling-tale with generous humor. Ruhl gives us an admirable serving of Woolf’s extraordinary observations and introspective profundity but this period/gender hallucination of fluctuating melancholy loveliness has only sporadic moments of connection to applicable relevance. Still, Court Theatre’s theatrically lavish production of Orlando is a thought-provoking joyride of stunning imagination and surreal sensation."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Carle shines in a long overdue spotlight role, and Thebus’s production is visually gorgeous, with Collette Pollard’s spare scenic design featuring layers of billowing curtains. (Watch out, however, for the inevitable second-act appearance of umbrellas, Ruhl and Thebus’s all-purpose expressionistic symbols that seem to materialize in every show.) But Ruhl’s edit of Woolf’s prose feels ultimately empty; the playwright’s take on the author’s gender-bending, centuries-spanning hero(ine) seems to come from a facile, present-day point of view, and what’s worse, it’s underdramatized. This is Woolf with no teeth."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Although difficult to describe, it is a delight to see: the lighting, costumes, and sets are all masterful, with the costumes, designed by Linda Roethke, pleasing the eye especially: not only for their beauty, but for their cleverness, a single article change sometimes symbolizing an entirely different era. The actors are so in-sync that not a beat was missed, even when they had rapid-fire single-word lines in quick succession. The choreography (which is not exactly correct, as there was no dancing, per se, but “movement” does not do the movements on stage justice) is tight and remarkable for its ingenuity. And every single actor on stage presents a tour de force."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...Our heroine (the striking Amy J. Carle) is surrounded by a quartet of actors who nimbly embody everything from an elderly queen to an equally ambiguous and lustful Romanian Cout/ess to Orlando's globe-trotting husband to every conceivable maid, sailor and courtier, all with flair and bravado. Thomas J. Cox, Adrian Danzig, Kevin Douglas and Lawrence Grimm give a highly expressive and flamboyant physical performance that will leave you breathless."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...This production, which is about 2 hours in length ( or a bit shorter) takes us on a ride in history as Orlando leaves the 1800′s and enter the 1900′s before our very eyes. During this zany poetic ride, he begins to dislike women and how they treat men and when he wakes form a long sleep, he finds that he is no longer a man, but has become a woman and now must live a different lifestyle from the one he is used to. I would have to classify this production as a sort of combination farce, poetic reading and creative dance comedy. It moves quickly, is well directed, well acted, but for its quality, is not for everyone, in particular younger children. In fact, I would say that even high school students need to be mature for this story."
Chicago Theater Beat - Somewhat Recommended
"...Woolf claimed she started Orlando as a joke, a way to tease Vita. Ruhl’s adaptation captures this light mood, and Orlando’s prevalent attitude through the centuries seems to be “just go with it.” This tone and Thebus’ antics are sure to amuse and inspire, even if Ruhl’s writing gets a tad clunky."