Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...The young author's arrogance -- which gave him the chutzpah to so prematurely bite the hand he expected to feed him -- is what makes this play worth seeing three decades after its debut."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...With his sonorous voice, subtle pacing and an ideal mix of spikiness and weariness, Darlow -- himself a veteran actor with masterful technique -- has his role down to perfection. And Schwader, a Chicago Shakespeare Theater regular, is a most worthy partner, mining the self-consciousness, humor and ambition at play in John."
Daily Herald
- Highly Recommended
"...Falls uncov-ers the play’s comedic gems, and Darlow and Schwader make them spar-kle. This duo doesn’t miss a beat. Their easy interaction and effortless delivery reflect not only a mastery of the rhythmic challenges Mamet’s writing poses, but a nice flair for the physical comedy which Falls shrewdly incorporates."
SouthtownStar
- Highly Recommended
"...After experiencing this delicious Goodman production, under the golden touch of master director Robert Falls, it's difficult to understand why it's taken so long for the work to be revived. Thank goodness that this treasure has been rediscovered. It suggests good things to come for the rest of Goodman's Mamet festival."
Time Out Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Despite directorial miscues, Falls’s production always engages, thanks largely to Darlow’s Robert. While Schwader makes John too artless, undercutting his threat to Robert, in Darlow we find a man looking at someone else’s promising start and seeing his own terrifying end."
ChicagoCritic
- Highly Recommended
"...Director Robert Falls’ production of A Life in the Theatre is superb. This two-hander features veteran actor David Darlow as the aging method actor, Robert and Matt Schwader as the young aspiring thespian, John. This backstage comic drama has a marvelous set that reverses the stage where we see the makeup table, the kitchen and the wings with the stage, curtain and the stage lights facing us giving us a glimpse into the actors real world."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...Nearly as pivotal an ingredient in Director Robert Falls' beautifully judged production is Mark Wendland's wonderfully realistic and atmospheric set. The lone glare of a work light, the silver glow of the dressing room bulbs and the rosy warm hew of the footlights lend a ghostly but welcoming glimmer in Michael Philippi's lighting design. Mamet may have left the theatre for more lucrative endeavors, but thank goodness the Goodman can still honor the creative passion and love that abides in all of us strange theatrical creatures."
