Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...The play's focus is strongest when it veers back to the present, and yet the person you most want to see onstage at any given moment is that platinum blast from the past."
Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...The show, which debuted in 2000 and is now in a revival by BoHo Theatre, requires a very special blend of talents — actors who can perform sparkling, spot-on impersonations of Mae and her “boys,” and then flip into the quotidian disappointments of ordinary life with easeful naturalism. The cast at BoHo, directed by Stephen M. Genovese, tries hard to straddle both worlds and sometimes things do click. But the essential snap, crackle and pop pacing and edge needed to make Shear’s winning piece reveal its true magic is not quite there."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...The obsession that unites the fans--aspiring actress Jo (Smith again) and Charlie (David Tibble), a nebbishy film archivist who met West during her declining years--doesn't fully convince, either. This show needs more piss and vinegar, less sweetness and light."
Centerstage - Recommended
"...Smith has the perfect look and legendary physique; she also has Mae’s delivery of double entendres down to a science. As brilliant as her Mae West is, Smith’s Jo is equally as impressive. Hiding her vulnerability and longing until she befriends David Tibble’s wonderful shy, nerdy Charlie at their icon’s grave, they share an infatuation with West and discover much about each other. Tibble also plays several other men in West’s life, including W.C. Fields. Nicholas Bailey, the production’s talented singing pianist, also demonstrates his diversity playing Frank Wallace, Ed Hearn and several other men."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Genovese’s production has technical problems. The blackout-laden lighting design emphasizes the overlong evening’s staccato pacing, while the set design relegates Mae to a tiny upstage platform, a choice that renders this oversize personality (and the show’s dance numbers, here performed in miniature) far too small."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Anne Sheridan Smith nails West’s tunes: “I’m No Angel” and “She Done Him Wrong.” We witness the rise and fall of Mae West as well as the effects of her image on Jo and Charlie. And we have a good time throughout this 95 minute journey. The three wonderful performances give this show warmth, charm and personality. Come meet Mae West and her followers – you’ll have fun and a few laughs."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Somewhat Recommended
"...Bohemian Theatre’s latest production is a historic charmer that audiences will like or will not. Much like the generation growing up with Mae West, people hated or loved her, there was no in-between. “Dirty Blonde” is a comedy outhouse that will keep you laughing in the beginning and counting down the mintues till it’s over by the end. There was indeed a lot wrong with this production, ranging from a terrible sound and lighting design to dreadful New York accents that a small child could probably do better at. Unlike Mae West who made herself “Platinum”, this show only deserves a bronze rating."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...This is a powerful theatrical piece with music that also might be considered, historical and I for one found the story filled with comedy, sadness and warm feeling for a woman that stood out among her peers and may have been greatly misunderstood as a person. Those that loved her truly loved her and those that were turned off by her personality and character may not understand her life and how she chose to live it, but Shear manages to get into this woman’s head as well as those who were a part of her life before and after her death. BoHo has always brought quality to the stage, attempting to entertain while educating their audiences so they can expand their understanding of theater and the literature that can be told through theater. This particular peice deals ith the sacrifice that people might make for the love of another as we see through Jo and Charlie’s characters."
Chicago Theater Beat - Somewhat Recommended
"...There’s only one bona fide cross-dressing scene in Claudia Shear’s romantic comedy, but somehow the entire Bohemian Theatre Ensemble production resembles a drag show. Maybe that’s due to the inherent campiness of its central character, film legend Mae West. Maybe it’s because nearly every other character, past and present, actor or non-actor, speaks with a larger-than-life showbiz dialect. Or maybe it’s because, like a drag show, Boho’s play is saturated in self-awareness, nudging reminders of its own innocence and desires to be bigger, glossier, and sillier than ‘the real thing.’"
