Six Degrees of Separation presented by Signal Ensemble Theatre at Chopin Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...Director Ronan Marra stages the show in-the-round—or rather, in a square. It's a bit like a boxing ring. The jabs aren't literal, they're more subtle, personal. The cast is at ease with Guare's syntax, a highly erudite but piercing examination of privilege and desperation. Harvard is described as a place where kids are in a constant state of 'luxurious despair and constant discovery.' "

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Ronan Marra's staging for Signal Ensemble Theatre has a handle on Guare's wit, but the darker aspects of the story don't gel. The ensemble sometimes overplay the stereotypes (particularly with regard to the liberal's bratty kids), and Susie Griffith doesn't completely unpeel the loneliness and vulnerability in Ouisa, the socialite who develops sympathy for Paul."

Windy City Times - Recommended

"...The verbal agility required to simultaneously convey these multiple scenarios is one reason Guare's 1990 rumination on class warfare in America is so rarely performed nowadays. But Signal Ensemble has long demonstrated a knack for restoring fresh immediacy to deceptively shopworn texts, and under the briskly paced direction of Ronan Marra, a cast, led by Bryson Engelen as the mercurial trickster, inhabit their roles with unswerving conviction, while the cozy quarters downstairs at the Chopin facilitate a tidy 90-minute running time for a caveat more timely today than ever."

Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...The play’s success in performance hinges on whether we buy that Paul (the Hampton character) could charm the pants and pocketbook off pretty much anyone. On that account, Marra’s otherwise lively production fails: Engelen brings to the character a childlike sincerity that justifies the older characters’ parental concern for him, yet there’s nothing irresistibly seductive about his Paul. As the principal scamees, Griffith and Steinhagen display some comic timing but lack the necessary air of patrician breeding troubled by liberal guilt."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...Bryson Englen is terrific as the fast-talking, charismatic Paul. Jon Steinhagen and Susie Griffith were particularly outstanding. Director Ronan Marra’s large ensemble contributed much to make this show quite effective. The tight pacing made the show flow nicely. JohnGuare’s intelligent work is nicely delivered by Signal Ensmeble’s talented cast. The 90 minutes of Guare’s classic play will get you thinking."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended

"...Six Degrees of Separation really packs a punch. It’s one of the most exciting and thrilling shows this season. All the time Paul is hoodwinking one sucker after another, the audience is in on it. With each of Paul’s conquests he gets closer and closer to making you think, “this could happen to me.” No one knows who’s out there or how vulnerable they are. Paul as a tragic character is made crystal clear by the stylings of costume designer Laura M. Dana."