Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Smart's script makes some smart, and intermittently moving, observations, especially concerning the way brothers can confuse fighting with loving and needing, as well as how people who are not adopted often cannot understand why adopted kids are not necessarily compelled to find their birth roots. And, although a tad overplayed in spots, Ron OJ Parson's production is both shrewdly cast (Chamberlain and Roberson offer accessible, warm and likable performances) and staged with Parson's typically lively sense of humor: The opener of the show is a full-on, one-on-one basketball game. If you have a couple of young brothers at home (say between 10 and 17 years old), they might gain useful insight here into the complexities of their relationship."
Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Clearly taking a clue from Athol Fugard’s “Blood Knot” (a play about a dark-skinned and light-skinned brother in apartheid-era South Africa), Smart gives us a drama about the complex relationship between a white man, Samuel J. (Cliff Chamberlain, who very believably captures a guy at loose ends), and his younger, adopted, African-born black brother, Samuel K. (the effortlessly likeable and immediate Samuel G. Roberson), who have been raised together in the Chicago suburb of Naperville by a white Mom who has been single for many years."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...Adroitly directed by Ron OJ Parson for Steppenwolf for Young Adults, Chamberlain and Roberson really soar in the script's bookending basketball games, and Chamberlain nails the soul-churning anguish of a man who doubts he'll ever fit in the world."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...By featuring Samuel J. and K. as a Young Adults show, Steppenwolf skillfully shows young audiences that theater can be as current and localized as you like. But more importantly, Steppenwolf is giving a welcome platform to a local playwright who appears to have plenty of vital and emotionally important things to say."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Parson’s adroit hand brings out the story’s lyrical elements; this is a vigorous, physically demanding staging. And both Chamberlain and Roberson invest the brothers with a likable charisma. But the overdetermined script never stops feeling like a homework assignment."
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"...Ultimately, I think there are plenty of other sources out there that would ignite deeper conversation amongst youth than Samuel J. and K. could. Which is so unfortunate: it is arguably more important for theater geared towards kids to be really excellent than the next Mamet or Stoppard play – it is, after all, what might attract the next Beckett, Goold, or McKellen to the stage. And I am sad to say that this SYA piece is very unlikely to do that."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Somewhat Recommended
"...“Samuel J. and K.” is a two person play filled with brotherly love, brotherly hatred, and best of all basketball. The play itself is extremely shakey and unclear in many of its plot points. I found it hard to discover what is driving this play; there is no overlapping conflict, nothing keeping these two together except the fact they’re brothers. The first act is good enough to be a play itself, but the transition between the first and second acts is honestly probably one of the worst changes I’ve ever seen in theatre. “Samuel J. and K.” will not have you crying by the end, nor will it make you feel the urge to call your brother and tell him you love him."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...This is a highly emotional story, well acted and directed with the warmth and feeling that the script was meant to evoke. At the conclusion o fthis heartfelt story, I would think that most audience members will want to talk about the emotions they felt and should you be in a situation where there has been some distance between a family member, want to pick up a phone and call or if available to visit, do so and maybe even hug that family member. This is a powerful story and young Mr. Smart hits the nail on the head. We all want to do the right thing! We all want to discover what and who we are! Steppenwolf for Young Adults is a program designed to bring meaning to theater for high school students as well as their teachers and parents- thought provoking topics that will open te doors for discussion. This play certainly accomplishes this mission."
Chicago Theater Beat - Somewhat Recommended
"...Lacking enough logic to create dramatic build, Samuel J. and K. is a two-man show in which the eponymous characters remain elusive. What are audiences—young or old—supposed to glean from that?"