Quark Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...Gloria Bond Clunie's "Quark," onstage with MPAACT, offers a far less grim vision of life and death than "Judith." But Clunie's piece also feels unnecessarily cluttered with an array of subplots that don't fully enlarge our understanding of the playwright's interconnected philosophical points. Still, director Chuck Smith gets genuinely affecting performances from this story of a dying astrophysicist and her husband."

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Clunie uses this somewhat interesting premise to consider individual and global responsibility, the ephemerality of life and love, and the sublimity of human wonder. Still, the net is cast so wide that the story never feels grounded. As a metaphor for true love in crisis, the quarks still can't make us feel the contrived emotional drama as anything organic."

Time Out Chicago - Not Recommended

"...When the script jumps back 14 years to show Alexandra and Terry's first meeting in the hospital, there are no physical or vocal changes to reflect their considerably different health situation, and Alexandra's present-day cancer stays similarly hidden. The circumstances aren't fully embodied by the actors, so it's impossible to connect to the story. That superficiality runs through the entire production, preventing the emotional life of these characters from fully forming and constantly reminding the audience that what we're watching is fake."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended