Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...“Rick Stone the Blues Man” imagines that Stone owns a blues club and has invited some of his closest friends, who also happen to be this theater’s most-trusted regulars, including Dwight Neal (who played Muddy Waters in that Howlin’ Wolf show back in 2003), Theo Huff, Rhonda Preston, Cynthia Carter, Kelvin Davis and Lamont “Harmonica Man” Harris. We, the audience, are at the club. There is a little light narrative tension — one of the performers is carrying on with a younger woman in the back, another is dealing with post-Vietnam stress. But it’s mostly just artists singing blues standards under the stellar musical direction of Robert Reddrick."
Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...As the title suggests, the play is a showcase for the titular Stone, a blues musician and a longtime performer with BET. He was also raised in the Cabrini-Green housing projects alongside Taylor, something the show touches on in one of its more effective passages. This is a family affair, celebrating Stone as much as it is celebrating the blues, though it's clear that trying to celebrate the former without the latter would be nigh impossible."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...Stone's main role at the Black Ensemble Theater, where he's been performing for 30 years, is himself—and Howlin' Wolf, whose blistering voice his channels without parody. Tonight, over the course of 90 minutes that are not exactly a play, not a concert, not church, but a mixture of the three, Stone will sing the real down-and-dirty blues with total absorption. "Hey, Dwight," he'll say. "Remember when blues was king in Chicago?""
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...We also hear familiar barn-burners like "Got My Mojo Working" "Wild Wild Woman" and the Professor Longhair classic "Big Chief" as well as solo turns by mouth-harp virtuoso Lamont D. Harris, while Taylor's "What Kind of World Is This" supplies a touch of social commentary. The evening wouldn't be complete, though, without Stone himself, combining the vocal prowess of a parade marshal with the agile grace of a ballet master, commanding the spotlight with his trademark Howlin' Wolf impression. Woof!"
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...When simulating a tough-loving blues club, there's always the danger that the audience might come to want a real one, collectively slumped on a bar and waiting for a cold one. Happily, despite an overlong second act, this simulation never goes too far: Ricky's Place is a very contagious cabaret. You'll want to "Stay Around a Little Longer," even if the jumping joint is as much theater as a mecca for good and hard times."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Recommended
"...Ricky's Place will keep you humming, singing and howling (no pun intended Mr. Wolf) throughout the night. The musical ambiance is just right with Lamont 'Harmonic Man' Harris, a professional harmonica player that delivers as he plays his 'mouth organ' alongside the musicians in this Blues Lover's Paradise."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...If you are a "blues" love, than you will be in heaven when you step into Ricky's Place, where the drinks are flowing, the dance floor is full and the band never stops. At least that is what we are told in the press notes. Let's tell it like it is! The story, since it is not a biography, is a little on the weak side. Almost like "okay, we have 30 plus great pieces of music, that audiences will love> How can we pieces them together to have the audience feel they are getting a story". There are characters that sing and work in the club , all of whom have their own story to tell and each of the singer/performers cares about the other ( that is for sure)."
WTTW - Recommended
"...Bekki Lambrecht's sleekly stylish set underscores this notion, with four small cafe tables with seats occupied by eight audience members forming part of the picture. All in all, this is an uptown show full of down-home blues."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...This delightful production, which runs a little long during Act II, is a change from Jackie Taylor’s usual revues. The theater invites the audience to purchase their favorite beverages and bring them into the auditorium, to help make the Blues Club experience even more authentic. All that’s missing is an invitation to join the cast on stage and dance. But theatergoers are very happy being encouraged to clap, hum and sing along with the singers. By the end of the evening, every enthusiastic patron will feel like he’s actually spent two-and-a-half hours at Ricky’s Place, enjoying the sweet crooning of some smooth, cool blues."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Recommended
"...Rick Stone is one of the most distinctive entertainment personalities in Chicago. Stone has been associated with the Black Ensemble Theater for three decades and his performance at the BET as the blues singer Howlin' Wolf remains unforgettable. So it's right and proper that Stone, after all his years of service, should have his name on a company show, titled, what else "Rick Stone the Blues Man.""
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...And whether it's Preston's "You Can Have My Husband;" Carter's "Wild, Wild Woman;" Neal's "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City;" Huff's "Down Home Blues;" or any of the other 29 magnificent renditions, there is sure to be one (hell, many) that will get any patron's mojo working. They're all brought to life by the best onstage band in the city, led by drumming Musical Director Robert Reddrick and including Adam Sherrod on keyboards, Gary Baker on guitar and Mark Miller on bass."
Chicago Theater and Arts - Recommended
"...Stone's the real deal. His foggy Velcro basso (a little bit smooth and a little bit rough) compliments his playful and charming demeanor as he hits us with, "Howlin' for My Baby," "Down Home Blues" and "I'll Play the Blues for You" while also picking up the action with the opening number "Turn Back the Hands of Time" and the finale "Let the Good Times Roll.""
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...Pure Rick Stone is what is offered in this production written by his life-long friend and driving force of Black Ensemble Theater, Jackie Taylor. Stone is helped along by four standout musicians and six other singers oozing with vocal range and attitude. We hear 33 songs—mostly blues, some not pure to the genre—but all giving the vocalists here a chance to charm – and they do. Every character also has a story line presented concisely— that’s the value-add of this play beyond going to a place like Kingston Mines."
