Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Meisner has an endearing presence, but he doesn't successfully negotiate the shifts between narrating Clifford's story and being in the moments as they unfold. (One fine exception is a scene where he has to coax his suicidal mother off the fire escape.) There are also some splendid comic interludes with the boys in the band as they explain "jazzonomics" — the delicate balance between unemployment and money earned from (increasingly subpar) gigs. And there is one absolutely golden segment where the musicians listen rapturously to "Night in Tunisia" by Clifford Brown — the namesake of the narrator and a man who died tragically young. For those few transcendent minutes, one understands why all the economic privations and the messed-up relationships don't matter to these side men."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...The script's insight into the impact of mental illness on a family is counterbalanced by its wry nostalgia for the bebop era and the great music it produced. Directed by Richard Stockton Rand, this Ka-Tet Theatre Company production features a haunting performance by Jeremy Clark as gentle, genial, yet emotionally isolated Gene; but in the hugely demanding role of Terry, Suzanne Miller fails to plumb the depths of despair and terror that underlie her foulmouthed, self-pitying rages."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Light's memoir is less an autobiography than a portrait of an era now lost to myth. His characters comprise a cross-section of the personalities defining it to future generations—nebbisher Ziggy, alley-catting Al, philosophical Jonesy, den-mother-with-benefits Patsy—and his milieu, the now-legendary cabarets and bistros of lower Manhattan, where youthful pilgrims seized the day with all their might, only to evolve into old pilgrims, still seeking that single elusive high note transcending the squalor of commonplace responsibilities. Richard Stockton Rand directs this Ka-Tet Theatre production in City Lit's intimate space with a likewise gentle touch, eliciting performances of bittersweet poignancy from an ensemble of uniformly-excellent actors (bookended by Jeremy Clark's withdrawn Gene and Rich Logan's mercurial Jonesy), while Tracy Otwell's overlapping-collage scenery establishes just the right tone of delicate nostalgia."
Centerstage - Somewhat Recommended
"...There are a boatload of flaws here. Director Richard Stockton Rand has his cast go overboard with overpronounced Noo Yawk accents which are more distracting than effective. There’s also something appalling about a show focusing on the history of jazz without a single African American character. Still, the show manages to be a moving tribute to a lost age of beauty."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Ka-Tet’s production is fairly solid. Much of Leight’s script consists of slapsticky shenanigans from Gene’s ratpack of fellow trumpeters—moments that in this production have a hushed and deliberate pacing that begins as simply unfunny, and winds up borderline surreal. The erratic East Coast accents are unfortunate, but clever projection design and deep commitment to the script’s more fiercely emotional moments help compensate."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Side Man is a hauntingly raw yet beautiful memory play that colorfully offers a glimpse into the world of the fanatic artist. It also dramatize the effects of shattered dreams and lack of ambition on a family. Dan Meismer and Jeremy Clark anchor the stellar cast of misfits and fanatics. The jazz riffs add authenticity to the production. This marvelous play is one of the best works mounted in Chicago this year! Ka-Tet Theatre is earning a reputation for outstanding productions. Side Man is an impressive work, don’t miss it."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...I don’t want to call the work—or play—of Ka-Tet’s ensemble acting. That’s a term you can only use after it’s over. Adding a stylized backdrop are playful shadow puppets and slideshow illustrations of the once ritzy neighborhood. Then there’s the jazz music itself, the sounds that explain even more than Leight does. Here that’s the highest praise possible."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Recommended
"...I was touched by the honesty of the production. Suzanne Miller (Terry) asks one of her husband’s buddies, ‘do you really think he can make it?‘ The simple response of ‘he has!‘ prompts a genuine look of stunned horror on Miller’s face. This pivotal point catapults Miller from naive to shrew to crazy. Jeremy Clark (Gene), her hubby aka the side man, plays it even-keeled. Clark’s non-reaction to his wife and kid is pitch perfect. Dan Meisner (Clifford) narrates with grown-up resignation. Meisner’s matter-of-fact oration coupled with Clark’s stone-faced delivery punctuates Miller’s emotional intensity. It’s a poignant combo. Under the direction of Richard Stockton Rand, the entire ensemble comes together in jocular unity. Rich Logan (Jonesy) is a stand-out as a devastating junkie. In the background, scenic and lighting designers Tracy Otwell and Karen M. Thompson use a shadowbox setup. Colorful cityscapes illuminate locale. Silhouettes of musicians provide a profound illusion of a moment in-the-spotlight."