R.U.R.: Rossum's Universal Robots presented by Strangeloop Theatre at The Side Project

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...An overlong set change in the first act drains some of the energy, but clever use of a scrim and projections of silhouettes (designed by Glen Anderson) brings a note of stark terror to the later developments. Ultimately, it's not Capek's meditations on the soul of the machine that resonate most strongly; it's his prescient commentary on the disposability of humans. The best worker, as Sparling explains to Helena, isn't the one that is most honest and hardworking. It's the one that is the cheapest. Today, Rossum's Universal Robots would be outsourcing production to Third World sweatshop factories."

Chicago Reader - Not Recommended

"...Robots taking over the world may sound entertaining, but in this Strangeloop Theatre production it's strictly dullsville. Part of the trouble has to do with Capek's repetitive, exposition-heavy script. But there's still some original and socially relevant stuff in there; you just wouldn't know it from the dour mood, wooden acting, and glacial pacing on display in Brad Gunter's staging."

Time Out Chicago - Not Recommended

"...Granted, after a century of HALs and Roy Battys, today’s audiences have the benefit of hindsight to see how this set-up plays out, but Gunter elects to stage it all without self-awareness or irony, resulting in an awkwardly paced, anemic, joyless slog. More so, it’s a missed shot at some sharp reinvention—Čapek’s thematically straightforward script, in the right hands, could supply ample opportunity for genre commentary, nods to Czech or early 20th-century theater conventions, or technical showcasing. The few effects to be had in Strangeloop’s staging, though, are tedious (we wait an awfully long time in the dark for a digital shadow effect with no actual payoff) or unintentionally humorous. The production's bid for R.U.R.'s continued relevance would be more convincing if every production element weren't so rusty."

Chicago Theatre Review - Somewhat Recommended

"...Strangeloop's production of Rossum's Universal Robots stands on its own, when it could easily take these heavy themes and put them into a relevant historical context, or even a modern one. Strangeloop clearly sets this play the time of its writing, but there is nothing all that dated about the play. It would be easy to modernize it and use it to reflect on today's electronic culture. Or, as said before, address some of the horrors occurring in Europe at the time Capek wrote it. However, the production is still an entertaining two hours and worth a bit of your time if you're in the neighborhood."