Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...On opening night, people in the packed house upstairs at the old Victory Gardens were overtly leaning their bodies toward the stage, clearly drawn in by the words and craving more. There's no greater compliment for a Stoppard production."
Daily Herald - Highly Recommended
"...This flawless production of Tom Stoppard's, brainy, bracing, nearly perfect play about love, marriage and fidelity benefits from James Bohnen's smart direction and exceptional acting, especially from leads Nick Sandys and Linda Gillum."
SouthtownStar - Highly Recommended
"...In the hands of masterful director James Bohnen and Chicago's superb Remy Bumppo ensemble, this delicious comedy-drama by Tom Stoppard is better than ever."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...You couldn't ask for a sharper cast than Remy Bumppo Theatre Company's to tackle Tom Stoppard's intricate comedy about love and infidelity. Effortlessly precise Nick Sandys spearheads the show as Henry, an emotionally constipated, grammatically unforgiving playwright who steals his friend's wife only to find he's flummoxed by "modern love." The rest of director James Bohnen's cast gives Stoppard's metatheatrical puzzle--scenes from Henry's plays bleed into his life and vice versa--emotional commitment and clear objectives."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...The bulk of the play rests on Sandys and Gillum’s shoulders, though good supporting work is seen by the other actors in what are practically walk-on roles. Anne Fogarty excels with sarcasm as Henry’s first wife Charlotte, while Sean Fortunato does intellectual insecurity quite well as Annie’s ex-hubby Max."
Gay Chicago Magazine - Recommended
"...The younger cousin of some of Stoppard’s best-known plays, “The Real Thing” stands proudly in a class all by itself. Existing largely as an answer to critics’ accusations that Stoppard was merely an intellectual university wit, distant and even emotionally barren, the work stands as a token of proof that Stoppard is capable of opening up to an audience."
EpochTimes - Recommended
"...The Real Thing" is Tom Stoppard's look at love and marriage and Remy Bumppo Theatre Company under the direction of James Bohnen, with a superb cast, they really make this wordsmith's story come alive. The story is about Henry (Nick Sandys) a playwright, whose plays deal with love and deception, and his love affair with Annie (Linda Gillum) his best friend's wife. There is a great deal of chemistry between these actors making their characters very strong."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...From Sean Fortunato’s stinging Max to Anne Fogarity’s charming Charlotte to Kareem Bandealy’s engaging Billy to Keith Gallagher’s crude Brodie, the cast echoes Stoppard’s rich dialogue deftly. I especially like the work of Linda Gillum as Annie and the terrific tour de force effort of Nick Sandys as Henry. This is the finest work from Sandys as he captures the essence of the true romantic and vulnerability of the playwright."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...Henry is the most fleshed out of the characters (many critics have suggested Henry is a literary stand-in for Stoppard himself, which is doubtlessly true) and Sandys plays him like a fine concertina. He is so good in fact that we might easily take the other characters for granted, were it not for the presence of such A-list actors as Anne Fogarty, Linda Gillum and Sean Fortunato. Kareem Bandealy and Keith Gallagher round out the cast competently enough. But in the end, we are left with Stoppard's complex and highly challenging words and thoughts, and Nick Sandys' exceptionally well modulated performance."
