Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...Ah, for a regular tale, well told! An adventurous piece that ripples along nicely. Something you can follow without undue mental exertion. Something not overly obsessed with drawing attention to itself. Something the whole family can enjoy together. Something that won't win any awards or blow anyone away but is both a pleasing diversion and also an experience with educational worth. Johnny Tremain at the Lifeline Theatre is just such a show."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...The gifted adapter John Hildreth has turned to Esther Forbes' 1944 Newbery Medal-winning book -- for decades a young adult classic, and a story written just a couple of years after Forbes' adult work of history about Paul Revere won her a 1942 Pulitzer Prize. And in conjunction with the hugely resourceful director Katie McLean and an ingenious team of designers, he has devised a show with surefire appeal for audiences of all ages."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Adapter John Hildreth and director Katie McLean have improved on it, trimming the story to fit within two hours onstage without sacrificing either the carefully constructed plot or Forbes's gift for making even the most familiar historical figures--John Hancock, Sam Adams--quirky and memorable. Most impressive, however, is the way Hildreth, McLean, and the able, energetic ensemble bring out both facets of an expert literary adaptation: the emotional involvement of good drama and the sweet feeling of having a story read to you."
Windy City Times
- Recommended
"...John Hildreth’s efficiently-abridged exposition incorporates into its text snapshot biographies of the Founding Fathers ( who make their entrances mischievously posed as in their museum portraits ) and plenty of quotations familiar to us from our schooldays."
Time Out Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Despite a solid effort, this is a sterile, Saturday-morning cartoon version of a book that’s already had the Disney treatment. This isn’t to say Lifeline’s production isn’t entertaining or well executed, and there are certainly elements—Alan Donahue’s practical-yet-evocative set, actor Paul Myers’s bravura work as James Otis—that are outstanding. But on the whole, bringing this story to the stage hasn’t necessarily brought it to life, and the show never escapes the feeling of America: The Pageant Play."
ChicagoCritic
- Highly Recommended
"...With outstanding work from Chris Cantelmi, Nick Dufloth, Erin Myers, Bryson Engelen, Allison Cain, James E. Grote, Paul Myers and the talented Shole Milos, Johnny Tremain boasts a cast that supports Geoff Button’s excellent lead character. Yes, history can be fun and Lifeline Theatre makes it entertaining."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Recommended
"...Esther Forbes' 1943 children's novel "Johnny Tremain" mixes real life historical figures such as Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine with a fictitious coming of age tale set against the backdrop of the American Revolution. Lifeline's adaptation by John Hildreth is an entertaining, if candy-coated history lesson."
