Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...All in all, it's a most interesting hour. Perhaps American Blues wanted us to feel the passion of "Strike! Strike! Strike!" Actually, you're left more with a refreshed sense of the unlikeliness of such a cry coming today."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...Odets’ play, written for the fabled Group Theatre, is an old-fashioned, heart-on-the-sleeve, Depression-era drama that broke ground back then by planting actors in the audience so they could puncture the theatrical fourth wall — a device director Kimberly Senior now uses with admirable care. Yet it also is up-to-the-minute in its sense of the impotence of working people, their anger at basic justice denied, and finally, their call for rebellion."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"... Most of it--no, all of it--is pure propaganda. And red propaganda, at that, in the starry-eyed, let's-all-sing-"The Internationale" manner that was possible when Stalin looked good next to Hitler. But Kimberly Senior's staging and cast are strong, and there's a hell of a lot of satisfaction in watching workers hold up their fists and give a loud no, like they only seem to do in Wisconsin these days."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...The American Blues Theater company is well-practiced in conveying the dignity inherent in plays celebrating the proletarian diversity of our nation's populace. Under Kimberly Senior's meticulous direction, the 25 actors immerse themselves in their disparate roles so wholly that even those stationed in the audience, as in the premiere production by the legendary Group Theatre, are distinguishable from playgoers only by their period clothing. The technical design is likewise first-rate, but Victoria DeIorio's stirring sound design is worthy of special note."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...Director Kimberly Senior fills the union meeting with nonspeaking characters, heightening the gathering’s grave intensity by packing the stage with somber faces desperate for work. Senior develops a striking contrast between the chaos of the meeting and the solemnity of the interspersed vignettes offering insight into the characters’ personal lives. In two roles conceived for men, Cheryl Graeff and Mechelle Moe turn in the show’s most poignant performances; their casting gives the script an extra layer of gender commentary. While the 1935 play’s push for embracing communism may not remain too relevant, the fundamental idea of unity during economic crisis continues to resonate."
WBEZ - Highly Recommended
"...Of course I'm precisely the audience for which the piece was written: though not quite a "red diaper baby," I did have a godfather named Eugene Victor Debs Auerbach. But anyone who values lively and committed theater will love Lefty too. Special kudos to Terry Hamilton for yet another terrific portrayal of someone whose every word is a lie including "and" and "the"* (first Richard Nixon, then Walter Burns and now a character as much like Jimmy Hoffa as is possible without actually disappearing). Kimberly Senior directs this production (as all her others) with such a light touch it would be easy to forget that she was there, except for the fact that the performances are uniformly excellent, the pacing impeccable, and the emotional heart of the play right out there on its sleeve."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...The show has many terrific moments and features nice work form Terry Hamilton, Cheryl Graff, Michelle Mos and Gwendolyn Whiteside. The 65 minute drama will stir up your rage as you ponder the 21st Century plight of the American worker. Too bad the contemporary solutions are not as obvious as the 1930′s were."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
".... “Waiting For Lefty” not only gives examples of the vast complications of strike on the battlefront, but it also shows the effects it had on the home front. The show transitions through blackouts by jumping back and forth between the daily struggles of union workers to the overall mission of obtaining better salaries at the union meeting. Not only are you watching a fantastic play, but you’re also experiencing a vital piece of American history that changed the shaping of our nation. “Waiting For Lefty” is filled with politics, corruption, passion, and triumph; all excellent attributes that result in a great production.
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...have more dollars that are worth less). Directed by Kimberly Senior in the very intimate Richard Christiansen Theater ( upstairs at the Biograph/Victory Gardens), many of the audience members who are amongst you, may be cast members as we, the audience are put into the position of being in a Town Hall, where all are “Waiting For Lefty”, a man that the workers trust and have faith in. We first hear from Mr. Fatt ( as usual a brilliant performance by Terry Hamilton) and as he talks about the Depression and the Communist Movement and of course Unions and how the workers were mistreated, many of them thinking that perhaps a Socialist lifestyle would make their days better. This play truly opens one’s eyes to “class consciousness” and how the rich get richer and the poor survive ( in many cases, just barely)! As the play progresses we meet many characters, common workers along with scientists and of course the Taxi drivers. Their little stories are created by the ensemble of players who are onstage for the entire 60 plus minutes, and as needed, take center stage to reveal what their lives have become during these troubled times."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...In 2011, when labor unions have never been more imperiled (sometimes from their own short-sighted agenda, but also from government-induced union-busting and Tea Party-selfish), blue collar sell-outs have smugly forgotten the struggles of the 30s, this hit-the-barricades eloquence is still a hell of a challenge. Both theatrically and politically, Odets’ "them" is still "us.""
