Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...this still is a refreshingly honest and dynamic bit of writing that also manages to be edgy fun, especially for everyone and anyone down with its central arguments. The embrace of rappers (and their language) by privileged white kids and their Lolla this and their Pitchfork that is, of course, a very complex and paradox-choked thing and Chisholm pulls no punches here in this trip through the atrophied world of celebrity music, fake-woke bonafides and relentless rebranding. I wish it could reach a few high-schoolers of my acquaintance; Chisholm’s thinking is a useful antidote to so much of the junk in their feeds."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...What gives this show heart as well as heat is that Chisholm's take-no-prisoners approach still lets us feel sympathy for the characters. Young's Dorian, the stand-in for every prepackaged Boy Band Blandster imaginable, sincerely wants to understand P.Y.G.'s influences, though that takes the form of telling Black and Alexand "I even took a hip-hop course at an HBCU. It was online. But still." But then he goes into an exploration of how he has chased "the beat" around the globe that makes it clear he's trying to be more than a cultural tourist in his own bumbling way."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...This high-energy new play from Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm ( Hooded: Or Being Black for Dummies ) provides a dissertation on who can or cannot say, write or even think the n-word. Whites are forbidden, no surprise. Beyond that, P.Y.G. is a lively work of satire about cultural appropriation, which can flow both ways across the black/white divide. At the end, a serious message supporting Black Lives Matter feels tacked on, despite being appropriate."
Theatre By Numbers - Highly Recommended
"...Ultimately, it is hard to encapsulate how good this production is, how big it goes; it hits hard and fast, contains all manner of delightful performances, and speaks to now in a way that can be rare for new plays. Check it out if you’re a fan of electric, thoughtful theatre."
Rescripted - Highly Recommended
"...The performers give equal weight to comedic moments and show-stopping moments of truth. Go see P.Y.G. or the Mis-Edumacation of Dorian Belle for the laughs, for the spectacle of it all, and to engage with the important ideas it contains. I bet you’ll come away excited by all three."
Storefront Rebellion - Highly Recommended
"...Both Chisholm's commentary and Jackalope's production are so savvy and so engaged with the broader cultural moment that P.Y.G. is the kind of theater you want to bring non-theater people to see. That's why I'm making this review free for everyone to read and share. Because I want you to see P.Y.G. and I want you to bring someone who doesn't think they like theater. Let's start a Mis-Edumacation campaign."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...Whatever you choose to wear to the theater, know that in this production you mainly are wearing your Whiteness or Blackness, or other POCness variant. If you think about reparations for slavery, this is the comic relief your pain seeks. If you think reparations for slavery is a topic too out there for you, this probably isn’t your top pick show."
NewCity Chicago - Recommended
"...The real difference comes in the play's finale, in its possibility for reconciliation, not between races (though the black men in this play understand too well how they are perceived as representatives of their entire culture), but between individuals. It sounds cheesy precisely because it is cheesy. But in taking that risk, in taking all the risks this play does, "P.Y.G." represents a way forward. And that, as they say, is worth the price of admission."
