Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...Adaptor Frances Limoncelli has done Sayers before and she's adept at translating narrative into action. And Dorothy Milne, who directs, finds just the right tone. The show is wry; but never camp. It zips happily along from clue to heartbreak, but the serious ideas are never undermined. In short, this is a long but very smart and entertaining show from the Chicago theater that does this kind of thing with less pretension but more authenticity than anyone else in town."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...A literate and enchantingly comic summer trifle, "Gaudy Night" features a sublime adaptation by Frances Limoncelli; ingenious direction by Dorothy Milne; reprise performances by Peter Greenberg (as Wimsey) and Jenifer Tyler (as Vane) that finalize their ownership of the roles; an inspired supporting cast that portrays a henhouse of spinsters and widows, plus one terribly spoiled young gentleman, Lord Oakapple (a shrewdly goofy Bradford R. Lund), who just happens to be Wimsey's nephew."
Daily Herald - Highly Recommended
"...Skillfully directed by Dorothy Milne and with impeccable acting from an accomplished cast who manages to make exposition entertain-ing, Lifeline’s excellent production owes much to Frances Limoncelli’s shrewd adaptation, which addresses seriously the issue of duty to oneself without sacrificing the sense of whimsy that characterizes the series."
Pioneer Press - Recommended
"...Once again, Lifeline makes the most of its tiny facility with highly effective staging, including an excellent use of silhouettes framed in windows and an unexpected boat for romantically punting down the Thames. Kudos to adapter Frances Limoncelli and director Dorothy Milne for remaining true to Sayer's original wit and insight."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Adapter Frances Limoncelli and director Dorothy Milne do a remarkable job carving a two-act play out of Dorothy L. Sayer's 500-plus-page novel. Set at a fictional women's college at Oxford University and featuring detective work by Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane, the book is packed with fascinating eccentrics and witty dialogue. The stage version is almost as rich, partly because the adaptation is so expert and partly because this production is filled with actors whose every gesture and pause speaks volumes."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...This Lifeline production has a great deal to recommend it, starting with the likeable and capable performances of ensemble members Jenifer Tyler as Harriet ( her second time ) and Peter Greenberg as Lord Peter ( his third time ) . They know their characters and they have chemistry within the chaste bounds of the 1930s world in which Sayers sets them."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...At its best, Gaudy showcases Lifeline’s wickedly clever scenic design and tight-as-a-drum ensemble playing. Set designers Jackie and Richard Penrod limn Oxford’s Gothic contours in broad strokes, employing wrought iron and stained glass as witty shorthand for both the literal locale and its cloistered ethos. The cast adds another layer of embellishment with its sharply drawn ensemble of maiden scholars of all stripes."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Gaudy Night has humor, wit and charm to spare. It surly is Jenifer Tyler’s show as this marvelously talented actress deftly commands the show and exudes warmth as the crime novelist. Peter Greenberg’s Lord Wimsey is equal to Tyler and together the two have chemistry that is electric and believable. This entertaining show contains excellent ensemble work, flawless technical values in a slick professional production that director Dorothy Milne always mounts."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...Sayers' brilliant combination of romance, suspense, intellect and mystery are a potent and heady brew that goes down in Adapter Limoncelli and Director Dorothy Milne's enormously satisfying tonic. Milne's staging is fraught with imagination, great taste, economy and style."
