Summer and Smoke presented by Violet Sky Theatre at Reginald Vaughn Theater

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...Summer and Smoke is a spiritual, sexual romantic drama, and Kevin Rolfs's scenic design nails the southern Gothic aesthetic that carries this inherent dichotomy. Where there's smoke, there's fire, and in this performance, it's stoked by the constant friction between Alma's beliefs and John's instincts, the heat when they hold hands."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"..."Summer and Smoke" is about a high strong, independent daughter of a minister, who suffers from anxiety, and insomnia, and covers it up by acting proper and using proper English and acting as a mother to everybody she knows. Lindsey Zanatta played the role of Alma Winemiller perfectly, I really believed she was Alma,.Her mannerism and her composure were flawless. Joshua Volkers plays John Buchanan Jr. MD, and he was another perfect cast member, with his brooding good looks, his macho but caring attitude, you can see why he suffers from satyriasis. To be perfectly honest ,every single cast member played their role flawless . Debra Rodkin played the role of a Mother Mrs. Winemiller who lost her marbles to perfection."

Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended

"...Violet Sky Theatre is a new company in the Chicago cultural landscape and it was a delight to attend their production of Summer and Smoke, directed by Eden Blattner. I have long been a fan of Tennessee Williams, particularly for his deep and multi-faceted female characters. Themes of fragility and duality are the touchpoints of characters such as Blanche DuBois in Streetcar Named Desire, Alexandra Del Lago in Sweet Bird of Youth, and Alma Winemiller in Summer and Smoke. This play is a story of awakening, loss, deep grief and the denial of all three. Alma Winemiller (Lindsey Zanatta) lives submerged under the weight of propriety and morality, of being a minister's daughter."

Chicago On Stage - Recommended

"...In Summer and Smoke, Tennessee Williams explores the interior conflict between the physical and spiritual parts of human nature. As he does later on in A Streetcar Named Desire, Williams pits a "brute" of a man against a woman who, though fragile and easily broken and clearly the "spiritual" side of this coin, finds herself fighting against her own nature. The new company Violet Sky Theatre (yes, new companies are still forming even in the wake of the pandemic, to which I holler "Hurray!"), taking over Invictus Theatre's space at the former Frontier on Thorndale for the month of July, gives itself a solid inauguration with a production full of strong performances and great respect for Williams' sometimes purple dialogue."