Shane Reviews

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...As the titular mysterious drifter, Michael B. Woods is outstanding, conveying from the beginning Shane's constant struggle against his past as a killer. (It's a tribute to the actor's range that he's previously played Cyrano, nearly Shane's polar opposite.) Josh Odor does his usual impeccable job as farmer Joe Starrett, whose admiration for Shane requires him to accept the latter's growing tendresse for Starrett's wife, Marian (played with every layer of love, intrigue, guilt, and determination by Whitney Minarik). The cast's only weak spot is Bruce Holtman as son Bob ("Come back, Shane!"): He tries to convey childish excitement by talking too fast, slurring the narration. As director of his own work, Pracht may have been unaware of the problem-the words were perfectly clear to him, of course, because he wrote them."

EpochTimes - Highly Recommended

"...In a world-premiere production, Mark Pracht not only adapts the 1949 novel by Jack Schaefer, but he also directs the play. The historical context and moral theme of “Shane” remains the same as in the movie. Set in Wyoming in 1889, “Shane” captures when the Wild West era was ending. The open, lawless plains were being carved up by barbed-wire and organized into farming communities. Men whose only survival skill was gunfighting were becoming obsolete."

Talkin Broadway - Recommended

"...City Lit Theater is opening its season with the world premiere of Mark Pracht's adaptation of Shane, the classic Western novel by Jack Schaefer. Pracht also directs the production, which is an appealing execution of a well-done adaptation."

Stage and Cinema - Recommended

"...The venerable City Lit opens its 46th season with Shane, a world premiere from multi-hyphenate Mark Pracht. Based on the novel by Jack Schaefer, which was previously adapted into a highly regarded 1953 film with Alan Ladd in the title role, Shane is a classic of the Western genre, populated with taciturn men, weary but tough women, and sweeping vistas where laws are merely suggestions to be followed arbitrarily, if at all."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...Based on Jack Schaefer's novel of the same name, "Shane" has migrated to the stage under the direction of Mark Pracht, who is also the story's adapter. Pracht has taken some excellent material and has now included some exciting nuances that have brought something unique to the story, especially with respect to the lead role of Shane, captivatingly played by Michael B. Woods. Woods charms us with his soulful demeanor, large eyes, and slow walk in a way that no one else can, plus his interaction with the entire cast makes this play one of a kind. The addition of some physical comedy and a few one-liners add to copious moments of wit and dry humor and distinguish this production from the iconic 1953 movie, starring Alan Ladd and directed by George Stephens."

Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended

"...City Lit’s new season is off a strong start with this production. It is a thoughtful meditation on what it means to ‘be a man.’ A strong cast and some first-class fight choreography help bring this story to life, and it should definitely be on your list of Chicago theater to see this fall."

Buzz Center Stage - Recommended

"...City Lit Theatre's world premiere of Shane, adapted for the stage and directed by Mark Pracht, brings a fresh, nostalgic perspective to Jack Schaefer's classic novel - a story immortalized by Alan Ladd in the memorable 1953 film. Pracht, who has been developing this piece since the 2000s, crafts the adaptation as a heartfelt tribute to his own father and grandfather. The result is a sincere exploration of positive masculinity, celebrating men who stand by their virtues and protect others, even at great personal cost."

Third Coast Review - Recommended

"...The western/cowboy genre comes riding through City Lit Theater’s 46th season with the world premiere of Shane. Based on Jack Schaefer’s 1949 novel, adapter and director Mark Pracht (Four-Color Trilogy), always saw the story as an example of positive masculinity. In this new adaptation, Shane proves to be a production with strong storytelling and world-building with a few stereotypical tropes usually seen in Western stories. Shane also was an award-winning 1953 film."

Entertaining Chicago - Recommended

"...Shane is about a mysterious man who shows up at the Starrett homestead in a Wyoming territory in 1889 and is just passing through. While there, Joe Starrett offers him a job as a farmhand. Shane clearly has a past that he is hiding, but he is a good worker, and Joe's son, Bob, and wife, Marian, take to him just as Joe does. When open-range rancher Fletcher tells Joe to sell him his farm, Shane and Joe instead choose to defend the land with consequences."

Splash Magazine - Recommended

"...City Lit Theater Company is currently presenting the World Premiere of Jack Scheaffer's SHANE, adapted and directed by Mark Pracht, through October 4, 2026, at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago. The company's 159th production, it's an iconic Western with a big heart, a large cast and an equally large production team. The plot is quintessentially American in emphasis; the mysterious Shane comes to town to save the good guys and save them he does in a series of shootouts. The characters are also stock Western creatures. Most significantly, there is the hero with a shrouded past who arrives in time; the upright homesteaders including the bumbling kid/ narrator son and good cooking lovestruck mom, as well as a cadre of colorful Wyoming townsmen, and of course, sneering, drinking, threatening bad guys."

NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...To do “Shane” on stage, you won’t be able to have real horses or wide Western vistas. But you do need a great Shane, and City Lit Theater scored big with Michael B. Woods. A past Jeff award winner, Woods looks and acts so much like the lonesome mystery man of the classic Western that he could be a tintype in a Ken Burns documentary. He’s slim and tall with an intense, blue-eyed stare and a slow, deliberate way of speaking—the way he drawls out the word “millinery” is one of the show’s many wonders."