Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...Williamson, who already rocked "Hit the Wall" last year (in the Chicago produciton; they didn't take her to New York), is proving again here that she's one of the most powerful and courageous young actresses to hit the off-Loop theater in a long time. Oyloe is very provocative and intense in this role, but he remains a tad aloof from his character and self-protected. Williamson has no such boundaries, fusing together the kind of primal, intoxicating, wholly believable mix of sexuality, fear and despair (I could go on; there are many levels here). It puts you in mind of early Steppenwolf acting, or at least it would if that very notion of such nostalgia is not now cliched. Williamson is her own woman and a formidably vulnerable talent. And she's ably matched here by Burch, playing a character buried in layer after layer of repression. Burch in many ways has the harder assignment, but she nails this character with comparable intensity."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Walking the thin e-string between teen soap and gritty SoCal noir is an all-star storefront-circuit cast director Jonathan Berry assembles, featuring heroic performances from Peter Oyloe and Mary Williamson as the star-twisted lovers, with intelligently uncondescending support from Brittany Burch as the born-again Lydia and Ashley Neal as the hipper-than-thou Ivy, flanked by Chris Chmelik and an almost-unrecognizable Nick Vidal as nerdy sidemen Shane and Hank. The tech is uniformly first-rate, but note especially Ryan Bourque, currently nominated for a Jeff, whose smack-and-throttle choreography for the desperado lovers delivers skin-stinging battery without ever endangering spectators seated barely inches away. (Guitar enthusiasts are also warned that a Gibson Les Paul is mistreated horribly in the course of the action.)"
Centerstage - Somewhat Recommended
"..."Reverb" would seem an ideal play for the Chicago theatre style. Dealing in the prices that people pay in order to be "blessed" with artistic genius, the play is all grit, grind and sweat. However the script by Leslye Headland gets away from itself down the home stretch and the production, directed by Jonathan Berry occasionally struggles with keeping finding the right balance between quiet intensity and just plain quiet."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Reverb is a shocking, violent work that may offer some yet it will entice sophisticated theatre patrons who relish in the powerfully raw Chicago style theatre. Leslye Headland made a good choice allowing the talented Jonathan Berry and Redtwist Theatre to mount her play in Chicago. See this masterful work to grasp the stage craft of Chicago artists."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Somewhat Recommended
"...The hard-working cast of Reverb have no such luxuries. Presenting the Chicago premiere of a work by New York enfant terrible Leslye Headland (Bachlorette), Reverb hits more than a few bum notes. For starters, Reverb is incorrectly billed in its promotional materials as being "darkly comic." Whether this fault lies with Headland or director Jonathan Berry is hard to parse without reading the script, but likely it's a bit of both. The central conflict: A profoundly unhappy but talented rocker named Dorian and his girlfriend/muse June have a hot-and-cold romantic relationship that is stoked whenever she encourages him to slap her around."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...While the main characters are dysfunctional, they do have a love for each other that as the story evolves becomes clearer. I don't want to give away any of the surprises, but will tell you that even when you think there is no way these two could ever be together, Headland manages to bring out some more surprises. I have a strong feeling that Oyloe will see another Jeff nomination and would not be surprised to see one for the wonderful work by Williamson."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Words cannot do this show justice. You must go see it yourself. The physicality, careful design choices, and tension between the characters is something you must experience in the small, intimate Redtwist space. I do caution those people who are very sensitive to domestic violence, but this is not a show to miss. The intensity with which I felt this show is why I do theatre."
