Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"...This show starts out exceedingly well. We see a cold police room inside the brick walls of what used to be the Stage Left Theatre in Wrigleyville. (On a post-Cubs Friday night, the sounds of the neighborhood only added to the sense of how dangerous consequences can await the reveler.) Along with Teninty's deliciously shifty and disingenuous dude, the two cops are played by Steve Pickering and Karen Aldridge. As Chicago theater fans will well know, this pair is perfectly capable of blasting down the walls with the force of their theatrical encounters and, in the first couple of scenes, they come darn close to demolition (Pickering's cop takes things personally, as cops in plays like this always seem to do)."
Chicago Sun Times
- Recommended
"...In the opening moments of the play, sharply directed by Matt Miller, William is about to be interrogated by “the bad cop,” Landy (Steve Pickering), Lucy’s former partner (and lover). He begins by slamming the guy’s head on the table with such force that it would be no surprise if he had killed him on the spot. Instead, William sits up, and without much change (miraculously he still can speak, and even is a bit cocky), the interrogation continues. Sorry, I just didn’t buy it, even if Landy gets a warning from Goggins (Karin Aldridge), his former colleague, now an internal affairs officer for the police."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Rollins's script relies too heavily on familiar tropes--but he has a real gift for crafting detailed and revelatory two-person scenes, and Matt Miller's pinpoint direction makes the most of that gift without losing the steely tension. Steve Pickering and Karen Aldridge have great chemistry despite the constraints of their roles as a hothead cop and his cucumber-cool partner. Vincent Teninty delivers a haunting turn as a family man faced with an escalating series of moral dilemmas."
Windy City Times
- Recommended
"...Then again, Rollins' intention never was to write the perfect cop drama. He explains in a program note that he's really attempting to explore choices we make, often in "horrible situations," and how even a small change in circumstances might substantially change the consequences. Along the way—almost as collateral dramatic damage—he explores collusion, deception, brutality and the exercise of power. That being said, Rollins' work is more than good enough to make quite a crackling show, especially with this cast and staged with conviction and economy by Matt Miller. It's a good rebirth for Pine Box after a three-year hiatus."
Time Out Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Whether and how William arrived in the motel room earlier that night, and how that relates to a vice cop gone missing in the hours between, are the answers the cops seek (and Pickering’s intense rogue officer is more than willing to beat them out of William). Rollins alternates these present-moment scenes with flashbacks to earlier in the evening, incrementally revealing William’s fate. But Aldridge and Pickering have plenty of back story of their own; in fact, every character here has layers of secrets they’d love to keep hidden."
ChicagoCritic
- Highly Recommended
"...This raw police procedural has hints of the TV series The Shield but is much tighter written and more realistic as we see a man trying to answer the question about how far one would go to protect his life after making some poor decisions while out on a bender. We see the other suspect, Darnel (Sean Parris) has both motive and opportunity to harm Lucy. Did he do something to Lucy? We follow the interaction between William and Lucy as we finally get the resolution of this complicated story. This show is fast-paced and riveting. It’ll leave you blown away. A great cast of mostly Equity actors with tight direction by Matt Miller does justice to Joshua Rollins’ play. We see how a slight change of time can change the outcome of an event that can change a life forever. The gray areas that colors events are fully depicted in this expertly drawn mystery. Don’t miss this dynamic show. This play is the hit of the summer."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Recommended
"...But in that case no one had to make a moral choice that was also a matter of life and death. There is one in “A Girl”. It hits William in his entrapment scene with Lucy at the Oasis Gentleman’s Club. As-- and after--you watch it, you wonder questions that begin with “If only--” and “What if—“ and, of course, “What would I do?” This play defines you as you try to answer them. Though not quite as tightly wound and powerfully plausible as “A Steady Rain” (there are a few giveaways like Darnel improbably holding on to some highly incriminating evidence), Pine Box’s summer thriller should pack them into the appropriately intimate—or, here, claustrophobic—Second Stage."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow
- Highly Recommended
"...In the lead, Vince Teninty (William) marvelously transforms from guileless victim to.... -WAIT! I don’t want to ruin anything! Suffice to say, Teninty had my empathy in scene one but at the ending I don’t know how I feel about him. Maybe it’s empathy? Maybe it’s disgust? Teninty rolls out a superb character study that keeps me guessing to the end. Karen Aldridge (Goggins) and Steve Pickering (Landy) play good cop/bad cop with balanced intensity. Aldridge has reserved compassion. Pickering is high-energy, volatile. The chemistry between Aldridge and Pickering is tight and vulnerable. Audrey Francis (Lucy) confidently sells herself as a gum-popping business woman. Later, Francis' shift from persecutor to victim is heart-wrenching. Until he was smiling broadly at the curtain call, Sean Parris’(Darnel) mere presence disturbed me."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Rollins tells a powerful story and Miller creates a canvass that will stay in your mind and memory even after you leave the theater. There are some great fight scenes (Matt Hawkins) in this very small space with a minimal set(Grant Sabin) that works! No fancy costumes, no elaborate set, some very solid and important lighting (Julian Pike) and the original music (Anthony Schneider) and sound design ( Joe Court)along with the props (Zach Stinnett) are the icing on the cake. I have a feeling that this play will end up moving to a larger theate along the way and perhaps make its way to New York ( as did “A Steady Rain”- let’s hope they don’t bring in different actors as thiscast is perfect. I will not reveal any more as the mystery needs to be unraveled before each viewer or it doesn’t work."
Chicago Theater Beat
- Somewhat Recommended
"...That said, there is one solid reason to take in A Girl With Sun in Her Eyes. That’s Vincent Teninty’s portrayal of the hapless William. He exudes hurt and vulnerability throughout, portraying the sort of flawed, damaged antihero that’s easy to feel for. A monologue midway through about being scarred by a former lover has the pathos to bring tears to the eyes. It’s a terrific, complex performance that covers the spectrum from cowering to courageous, from open and empathetic to closed off and bitter."
