Southern Baptist Sissies Reviews

Windy City Times - Recommended

"...Shores' personal connection to his material makes for occasional lapses into the kind of agitprop fervor he professes to deplore, but the cast assembled by director Wayne Shaw wears its personae with winsome grace and unflinching conviction, frequently reaching out to us past the stage's fourth wall with a confidentiality inviting response from a bigger audience than the one attending the final preview-a condition that should be easily remedied as the play continues its unfortunately brief run."

Centerstage - Not Recommended

"...The story plods ever onward between blandly sung hymns and drag performances, ponderous monologues and maudlin, melodramatic scenes that go on forever. Michael Pacas and Catherine Thompson, playing two redneck barflies, supply some honest moments but their scenes feel irrelevant while slowing down the story. Wayne Shaw’s direction is awkward, often hiding several scenes behind an ill-placed upright piano, masking characters with other actors (notably zaftig Suzanne Braken), and playing important scenes in darkness when he should be shedding some light."

Chicago Theatre Addict - Recommended

"...While these stories are indeed gut-wrenching (particularly in the second act monologues delivered by this talented ensemble), it’s a side story between two barflies, a middle-aged gay male called “Peanut” (the fantastic Michael Pacas) and a boozy, straight woman named Odette (Catherine Thomson), that captured my attention. In a way, Peanut represents the heart and soul of this show. He’s the product of a society that has rejected him — not just his family and religious community for being gay, but also by the gay community for not being young or attractive enough."