Escanaba in Love at Circle Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...Forest Park's Circle Theatre had a major hit a couple of years back with Jeff Daniels' loving send-up of Yooper humor and dimwitted deer hunters in "Escanaba in da Moonlight," a hugely enjoyable production that was especially smart about its stupidity. The boys are back, as they say, but the humor is not."

Daily Herald - Recommended

"...for all their quirks and coarseness, Daniels' standard-issue eccentrics have an offbeat charm that's kind of irresistible. And that's what sustains "Escanaba in Love," an OK comedy whose homespun humor tends toward the sophomoric (the jar labeled "gas money" has nothing to do with fuel) and whose writing is not entirely consistent (the punch the playwright pulls late in the second act makes for a less than satisfying conclusion)."

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...If you're a Michigander or know the type, you may be very amused by Daniels's finely tuned ear for the dialect and how well director Chris Arnold's cast recreates the characters' backwoods ways without mocking them. But the thin story--about three generations of men getting together for a deer-hunting trip before the youngest goes off to fight in World War II--isn't enough to keep the rest of us engaged."

Copley News Service - Highly Recommended

"..."Escanaba in Love" is a prequel to “Escanaba in da Moonlight,” both written by Jeff Daniels. I missed “Escanaba in da Moonlight” when it ran at the Circle Theatre in 2006. If that show was as entertaining as “Escanaba in Love,” the omission was my loss."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...Stage and screen star Jeff Daniels penned the prequel to his hit comedy, “Escanaba in da Moonlight” presented at Circle Theatre in 2006 with a look back at how Big Betty Balou (Simone Roos) and Albert Soady, Jr. (Bradford R. Lund) fell in love in 1944. “Escanaba in Love” is a TV sitcom styled comedy is full of zany characters and raw small town humor that is sure to please casual theatre goers. This is a wacky, well timed and very funny show."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended

"...Dialect coach Rebecca Bossen works wholeheartedly to spark the rhythms of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula “Yooper” dialect. The actors sink deep into their characters, endearing the audience as they honestly communicate the icy fervor of the Upper Peninsula in an organic and indigenous language. "Escanaba in Love" is a high energy comedy that makes the audience want to know about every nook and cranny of tradition-steeped Yooper society. The Soadys, despite their oddities, strange way of talking and rules and regulations are a fascinating bunch."