Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...I found “Private Peaceful” an inestimably moving show, a consequence of the quality of the acting and of its emblematic quality: to their great credit, Reade and O’Regan somehow make you see all the real Private Peacefuls, shot at dawn for no good reason at all."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...Like "War Horse," "Private Peaceful" is set against the horrors of World War I. Our narrator, Thomas "Tommo" Peaceful, occupies a lonely cell. A British soldier who lied about his young age to follow his beloved older brother Charlie into service, he reveals - rather too late into the play's 90-minute running time - that he faces execution in the morning by his own fellow soldiers, having been court martialed on a charge of cowardice in the field. Now Tommo is counting down the minutes until he meets his fate- and as he does so, his "nearly 18 years of yesterdays and tomorrows" flash before his, and our, eyes."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...The last third of Reade's adaptation is riveting. Poor Peaceful endures gas attacks, foolish assaults, pathetic retreats, and nearly constant bombardment. The first half of this 80 minute show is slow going, though, as Morpurgo takes pains to describe in detail Peaceful's idyllic early life in a small village in Devon. These scenes are sweet, but would have taken on a greater poignancy if the audience was clued in earlier to the sheer hell Peaceful would face in the war."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...It’s a small-scale marvel, a feat to treasure: In only 80 minutes director/adaptor Simon Reade and performer Shane O’Regan do total justice to Private Peaceful, Michael Morpurgo’s 2003 anti-war novel for older children. Not to be missed at Chicago’s Greenhouse Theater Center, it’s an enthralling achievement, this solo reenactment of childhood, peace, coming of age, unrequited love, 24 seminal characters, war, and even death, consummately illustrated by Anshuman Bhatia with trenchant sound design by Jason Barnes. (A feature film was released in 2012.)"
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...I was mesmerized by this powerful actor and his ability to tell his story portraying 24 characters, and doing so to perfection. O’Regan, in many ways reminded me of Robin Williams with his high energy and ability to change characters and voices “on the spot”. In fact, there were several moments when the young man even looked like a young Williams."
WTTW - Highly Recommended
"...Along the way, in this deeply moving 85-minute countdown of a play, O'Regan winningly captures the voices, accents, attitudes and body language of a score of different characters with great economy, while also revealing the inner life of Tommo as he all too quickly is transformed from boy to man. And with just the most minimal but effective set and lighting by Anshuman Bhatia, and sound by Jason Barnes, he creates a fully cinematic landscape - a tour de force that is at once profoundly intimate and grand-scale."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Sometimes a one-man show feels limited, claustrophobic and confined. Not this theatrical piece. Directed by the playwright, Simon Reade, Mr. O’Regan’s stunning portrayal of more than two dozen characters fill the stage with their presence. Each character is as memorable as Private Peaceful, himself. The horror and agony of war, the effects of shell-shock, now called PTSD, and the agony of watching time slip away, are a part of this play. Enhanced by a stunning sound and lighting design, courtesy of Jason Barnes and Anshuman Bhatia, respectively, this is truly one of the most breathtaking and emotionally stirring productions to grace a Chicago stage in a long time. Audiences who spend 80 minutes with Tommo Peaceful will be rewarded with one magically moving theatrical experience that they’ll never forget."
