St. Nicholas Reviews

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...He also deftly navigates the monologue’s teasing twists and turns as well as its mix of storytelling genres (including gothic horror, folk tale and male-menopause bildungsroman). Pickering’s American accent can be distracting since the play is set in contemporary Dublin and London and we don’t say “bollocks” over here. The only other misstep in Matthew Miller’s stripped-bare staging comes toward the end, when Pickering starts reading his lines from a notebook rather than reciting them from memory, as if to underline what McPherson has made clear: that the critic, after feeding on other people’s work, has at last found his own story to tell."

Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended

"... St. Nicholas fascinates me on many levels. As a “True Blood” fan, it doesn’t have the vampire shock value it would have had in its 1997 genesis. (I couldn’t help but wonder if Sookie knew about William’s house parties.) As a reviewer, it’s hilarious and disheartening to hear about a critic’s imperfections. The content speaks directly to me as a warning to what happens to reviewers who stray from the truth. As a lover of life imitating art, I did enjoy a drink in the bar after the show. The theatre company was there celebrating the opening. I exchanged a few pleasantries but did not join their party. Instead, I finished my wine and left. I went out into the dark, rainy night with the unsettling knowledge that reviewers attract vampires."