Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...Hawkins, who has cut away most of the talky stuff in the play — notably, the scenes about pastry chefs, bad actors and political rivalries — and, making full use of the vital freedoms of the public domain, has created a modestly scaled but consistently intriguing and enjoyable show with two sharp focuses."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...Of course the crux of the story is that Cyrano is hopelessly in love with the beautiful Roxane (the naturally intense, darkly radiant Stacy Stoltz), who in turn is head-over-heels mad for the younger and far more handsome soldier, Christian (Glenn Stanton is absolutely right in the role). But like Cyrano, her intellectual soulmate and best friend, Roxane loves words and needs to be wooed with eloquence —something Christian cannot do. So, wanting to make Roxane happy, Cyrano becomes Christian’s ghostwriter, and selflessly helps him to please her and win her heart with the very words he wishes he could say to her himself."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...In Pfautsch's performance, Cyrano is as psychically scarred by his nose as Shakespeare's Richard III is by his hump, and yet his underlying nobility wins out. Collette Pollard's inspired set, Hawkins's terrific fight sequences, and strong supporting work from Stacy Stoltz as Roxane and Mike Smith as Cyrano's budding acolyte, Ligniere, add to the pleasures of this revamped theatrical chestnut."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...This parable of sacrifice loses none of its power for being reduced to a Classics Illustrated graphic novel. The actors deliver uniformly vigorous portrayals of their plot-mandated personalities, while the technical team takes full advantage of the expansive playing area provided by a gallery surrounding the stage's perimeter. The results may not be the definitive Cyrano de Bergerac, but its two-hour running time makes this an interpretation tailor-made for youthful attention spans."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...Cyrano wants to be "the best at everything," and while the tragedy is that he is the best at everything except expressing his feelings to his true love, the play itself succeeds in being one of the best productions in Chicago right now."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Stoltz is characteristically radiant as Roxane, and Glenn Stanton impresses as Cyrano’s studly romantic stand-in, Christian. Their romantic triangle is treated with great humor and grace. Hawkins also douses the proceedings with dazzling large-group sword fights, but quiet moments thrill as well. Upon learning of Christian’s death, Roxane sadly and silently joins Cyrano at the piano for an extraordinarily beautiful grief-tinged duet."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...The House adaptation is somewhat a face-lift of the original play –offering much enjoyment, presenting sympathetic characters displaying genuine motions as they struggle with their relationships. You might say that Hawkins’ nose job succeeds in spite of a loss of some of the brilliant, rapier like interchanges of the original poetry. Certainly, the excellent cast easily transcends the lack of sets and props to capture the magic of theater."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Somewhat Recommended
"...Cutting over an hour from Edmond de Rostand’s classic 19th century historical romance, Matt Hawkins delivers a shortened and, alas, simplified take on a lyrical potboiler that combines epic sweep with rapturous poetry. Drenched in situational irony, the plot, of course, celebrates the maverick bard Cyrano de Bergerac. Rostand’s famous and lavish drama tells how the title champion, a big-nosed free spirit who despairs of ever being loved by the beautiful Roxane, sublimates his ardor by providing her beautiful boyfriend Christian with love letters infused with glorious flights of fancy."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...Onto the naked stage, Costume Designer Jacqueline Firkins fills the space with vibrant visuals. Nobility is dressed in exquisite, satin finery. Each of the ensemble is colorfully individual. In contrast, Firkins later dresses the ensemble in ninja-fighter outfits. During the spectacular brandishing fight scenes, the indistinct sea of black adds to the urgency and thrill of the spectacle. And it is a wondrous spectacle! This Cyrano “nose” he is a winner! Who cares about Roxanne? The audiences will adore him!"