Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...In Thornton's latest endeavor for the Gift Theatre — William Shakespeare's "Richard III" staged in the Garage Theatre at Steppenwolf — Thornton and his latest director, Jessica Thebus, do not so much explore the notion of chair as hump, although it's as good a metaphor as any for the otherness intuited by the last of the Plantagenet dynasty to rule England (his skeleton, you may recall, was ignominiously found in 2012 beneath a car park in Leicester). This time, thanks to a partnership with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, they explore the notions of a character who is reaching to leave that chair behind."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...This is the real thing. But of course it would be nothing were Thornton not also a superb actor - a master of the acerbic, the slyly twisted, the blackly comic and the chillingly manipulative, who fearlessly steers clear of sentimentality. He also is surrounded by a fire-breathing cast, whose female characters, in particular, play their roles to withering effect."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...What, then, does Michael Patrick Thornton mean by playing a figure who so thoroughly embodies dark notions associated with physical disability, when he lives with a disability of his own, having lost the use of his legs as a result of strokes suffered 13 years ago? Based on the evidence, I'd say he means to mess with those notions, and succeeds rather brilliantly at it too."
Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Nonetheless, this production is uneven. Several actors deliver Shakespeare with power and clarity, notably Jenny Avery ( as Elizabeth ), Keith Neagle ( Buckingham ) and Shanesia Davis ( as the prophetic harridan, Queen Margaret ); but some supporting players sound like actors-in-training struggling with classical texts. Even Thornton seems uneven, often simply too conversational in this intimate 90-seat arena staging. He easily conveys Richard's cunning, his self-awareness and mocking duplicity-sometimes ironically comic-but when he needs to express a mood other than anger (such as majesty or desperation as his world implodes) he's lacking."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...As undeniably cool (and moving, for those who've followed Thornton's career over years) as that sight is, Jessica Thebus's Richard III is no one-trick pony. In her sparse, in-the-round staging in the Steppenwolf Garage theater, Thornton's Richard looks back on his murderous manipulations from the moment before the Battle of Bosworth, allowing him to exist and observe the scenes from both present and future, frequently freezing the action for emphasis. Thornton's artifice-free performance is supported by a strong ensemble, with especially solid work by the women in the cast: Shanésia Davis as the revenge-seeking Margaret, Jenny Avery as Elizabeth and Caroline Dodge Latta as Richard's appalled mother."
Stage and Cinema - Somewhat Recommended
"...An actors' director, Thebus inspires everyone on Steppenwolf Garage's crowded stage. We're graced with strong work from established actors like Adrian Danzig as tormented Edward, Caroline Dodge Latta's magnificently cursing mother, and Keith Neagle's treacherous Buckingham. The ensemble prove as disciplined as any soldiers at Bosworth Field, and John Tovar's deafening stage combat makes it a medieval action flick. But at its heart Richard III-the character more than the play-is easily dismissed as a muddling middle manager turned toxic tyrant."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Overall, Jessica Thebus's production highlights the reasons why Richard III is such an enduring drama, and that reason is mainly Richard himself. Shakespeare wrote some of his best dialogue for him, and it rolls off Thornton's tongue with as much freshness and power as if new. Sure, building up other characters around him would have made his actions more consequential, and not too many people would have minded some more cuts, since the show currently is about two and a half hours long. But seeing the play in its full form allows us to delve more into Richard's character, and setting us inside his point-of-view allows Thornton's distinct take on him to inform the entirety of the show's action. Fans of Shakespeare will be glad to see what discoveries are awaiting them."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...There are two things about The Gift Theatre’s production of Richard III that really excite me: The concept and the performance of its lead actor. It is refreshing to see a production where it’s obvious that the director allowed the text to inspire a concept rather than trying to force a concept onto the text. The simplicity and execution allowed the slight tweaks made by director Jessica Thebus to bolster the text as a whole."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...It is the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, and the Chicago theatre scene abounds with productions of his work. The equity “Gift Theatre” is staging Richard III at Steppenwolf’s Garage Rep, nearly adjacent to the main theatre, rather than in its own small, but deservedly renowned, stage in Jefferson Park. This gives director Jessica Thebus the space necessary to accommodate the complexities of the play’s plot and she does so with strong blocking and original conceits."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...This is truly an arresting, monumental production to open the Gift’s 15th season. It’s a production that makes Shakespeare’s sixteenth century history drama feel particularly contemporary and accessible. Staged almost entirely in-the-round by Jessica Thebus, the production is surrounded by a wintery forest of discontent by Jacqueline and Richard Penrod, and painted with a thundering palette of sound designed by Kevin O’Donnell and Aaron Stephenson. With strong performances by Ms. Thebus’ large, talented cast, it’s Michael Patrick Thornton’s realistic, heartfelt portrayal of Richard, however, that is the real reason to see and admire this wonderful production."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...This RICHARD III is a fascinating spectacle. Although the acting wasn’t consistently on par with the innovative storytelling, I enjoyed the show."
Chicago Theater Beat - Somewhat Recommended
"...As the newly-crowned king to begin Act II, Thornton utilizes a ReWalk exoskeleton and an attendant (Kristen Hohl) to stride around the stage sans wheelchair. While it's great that technology is progressing to aid paralysis victims, Thornton ironically displays less mobility in this suit than he does in the first act, making the decision to use it puzzling. These images and the final moments of the play resonate powerfully as you might expect, but logistically they don't quite work. Awkward fight choreography, a confusing design, and inconsistent performances conspire to drag down a promising concept. As Queen Elizabeth would say, "Plain and not honest is too harsh a style.""
Third Coast Review - Recommended
"...The production “re-defines (dis)ability” as a mountebank on wheels, and delivers in a taut two-and-a-half hours. This Richard is the ur-Donald Trump – repellent to behold, lifeless legs for comb-over, withered hand for stubby fingers; audacious, unapologetic, self-serving agenda; monstrous misogyny; yet still winning. His crippled conscience is somehow buoyed by the carnage he’s created (perhaps the ghost of Chris Christie is also behind that curtain)."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The murders and executions are highly stylized: three murders occur with a fine muslin-like material, which suffocates the unwitting victims, the profiles of their dying faces showing through the fabric. Unsettling beheadings take place as executioners wave their body-length staffs like axes that come down and smack one another directly in front of the victim who convulses upward before landing lifeless on the floor. The end result of this nearly-three-hour violent, Machiavellian plot is an uneasiness in the audience and a penchant for thinking about the ways in which unsavory pursuits of power are timeless and carry forward to this day."
