Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...A review of a new solo show at the Chopin Theatre about Michael Royko Jr., a newspaper columnist in this town for some 30 years, would appear to demand a lede with something juicy between quotation marks, if only to draw in a reader with Royko's own words - being as all else ever written for this publication, or for the Chicago Sun-Times, or for the Chicago Daily News (Royko wrote for all three of them) lacks his flair and panache."
Chicago Sun Times
- Recommended
"...To call Mike Royko a legend in Chicago journalism is an understatement. When he died in 1997, at 64, he towered over all other columnists, locally - and nationally. Syndicated in more than 600 newspapers across the nation, he had millions of readers who loved him for his caustic wit and his heart; he always sided with the little guy."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...And yet, Bisschop’s solo show is far more than a eulogy to an exceptional writer and beloved local. It’s a nuanced and thoughtful look at quintessential Chicago history, Royko’s exacting and incredibly funny way of capturing cultural milestones, and the cynical relationship between power and the people who criticize it for a living from the comfort of their office. “I never wanted to bring anyone down,” says Bisschop’s Royko. “I’m a fisherman . . . I wanted to catch them, get columns out of them and throw them back, let them get bigger.”"
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Viewing “Royko: The Toughest Man In Chicago” written by and starring Mitchel Bisschop at The Chopin Theatre brought back many memories. I know that my dad would read Royko before even checking the sports, and I could not wait to read it and see who he was going after or picking on today. Royko was indeed a genius and did not care who he might insult, after all, the people who bought the paper wanted to see what he had to say. Yes, there were many who hated him and took exception to his views, but that made it even more fun."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...This entertaining, often humorous and sometimes touching two-hour production illustrates Mitchell Bisschop’s admiration for a true Chicago classic. Throughout the presentation we see how time after time Mike Royko was standing up for the little guy. The actor’s charismatic presentation thoroughly holds every theatergoers’ attention, broken only by a 15-minute intermission. The show’s printed program includes a detailed timeline that highlights the major events in Mike Royko’s life. There’s even a bibliography of resources provided for those wanting to discover more about the respected, controversial news columnist who rightly earned the nickname, “The toughest man in Chicago.”"
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...Compared with other one-man shows, “Royko” has a tendency to be static. Bischopp perhaps could move around the stage a bit more. Some technical matters need adjustment. When we hear the other side of a phone conversation, the amplification overpowers the non-amplified Royko. Overall, director Steve Scott (more than 25 years with Goodman) elicits a strong performance from Bisschop, and blends the multimedia elements well into the production."
Third Coast Review
- Recommended
"...If you lived in Chicago during the Richard M. Daley years, you lived in what I call, the real Chicago. We were a bare-knuckled city where people were born with tough hides. It was a city with taverns on every corner and people who asked what parish you were from because everyone was Catholic. This is the city where Mike Royko was born, and he is one of my writing heroes. Royko: The Toughest Man in Chicago was brought to life by writer and actor Mitchell Bisschop at the Chopin Theatre. Bisschop with director Steve Scott regale an appreciative audience with music and projections of the Sun-Times and Tribune buildings on the Chicago River."
Chicago Theater and Arts
- Recommended
"...Playwright and monologist Mitchell Bisschop has distilled thousands of Royko’s daily reflections of life in the Windy City to fashion a one-man show he wrote and stars in. It celebrates the person Bisschoph has dubbed, Royko: The Toughest Man in Town."
PicksInSix
- Highly Recommended
"...In his exceptional one-man show "ROYKO: The Toughest Man in Chicago" that opened Friday in a limited run at the Chopin Theater, writer/actor Mitchell Bisschop brings the life and career of Mike Royko into sharp focus. Using Royko's own words, the show is culled from nearly eight thousand columns spanning four decades that were syndicated nationally at a time when everything was not a click away. It is a remarkable historical archive-epic in nature-on topics ranging from Chicago politics and personalities to Picasso and pizza from the early 50s to his untimely passing in 1997."
Chicago Culture Authority
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The first half of the show serves as a reminder of how good Royko was at the top of his game. If it introduces a new audience to his work and prompts people to read Boss and his early column collections, well, that's all to the good. As Bisschop says at one point, Royko didn't think his columns were meant to last for 100 years, let alone 100 days. But a few of Royko's gems will hold up that long and longer."
Splash Magazine
- Somewhat Recommended
"...What’s more, there was a howling distance between the personality of Royko and the demeanor of Bisschop as Royko; the actor was simply too restrained, too matter-of-fact in his delivery, uncranky- he just wasn’t Royko! And the decision to include Bisschop as Royko in some of the images- especially when surrounded (and of course contrasted) with the real Royko- was simply a very poor choice."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...The good news for everyone is that the show really clicks, artfully conveying Royko's words and presence to a contemporary public, reminding us just how compelling and transformative journalism can be when it comes from somewhere deep and personal. As directed by Steve Scott, former producer for the Goodman Theatre, the play doesn't quite capture all of Royko's acidic quality, the jaded disillusionment that could shade into cynicism. But it does channel the humor, the righteous anger, the sympathy for the little guy and the basic decency hiding, almost ashamedly, beneath the sardonic tone."
