Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...So, all in all, a most intriguing (and, trust me, moving) work in progress from one of Chicago’s most gifted artists, put on by a generous creative ensemble that did everything in its considerable power to bring her vision to life. Maybe aside from asking a couple of the harder questions, but there’s still time."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Sadieh Rifai's playwriting debut, The Cave (based in part on her own family's story), is arguably a little overstuffed at two-and-a-half hours. But this portrait of a Palestinian American family in Ohio at the time of the first Gulf war has so many moments of pure honesty, humor, pain, and revelation that I scarcely minded. It helps that director Alex Mallory's cast for A Red Orchid Theatre works as a true ensemble, listening and reacting to each other so well that it is easy to believe the family dynamics onstage."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Recommended
"...Despite the laughs, the plot begins to get very uncomfortable as the weight of American ignorance and anti-Muslim sentiment becomes a tsunami the family needs to stay afloat in. And it’s impossible to not feel this story in the context of our current climate. This world premiere play is an important addition to the conversation right now and the program includes Take Action resources if audience members want to be more involved with the issues this artwork brings to the forefront. It is a brave and beautiful story of a family and allows us to see the conflicts from a specific perspective."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...I enjoyed this production very much. There is a freshness of spirit among the cast, and a performance that is billed as 2-1/2 hours with a 15-minute intermission goes by in a flash. The dynamic behind the tale is insightful: having to do with how American propaganda surrounding the first Iraq War led to generalized anti-Muslim prejudice. We see how Jamil and his family members react to the growing hate and intolerance by neighbors, other children's parents, and the wider community, leading to fear and worry for the future."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Recommended
"...Sadieh Rifai's autobiographical drama is definitely a story worth telling, particularly during this sad and unsettling moment in our country's history. The empathy her play evokes for the Middle Eastern immigrant, for mixed marriages in America, not to mention her powerful portrayal of how mental illness can destroy a life, is truly compelling. However, some judicious editing would strengthen this play. The inclusion of so many minor incidents, while interesting in themselves, only dilute the playwright's main idea and loses the focus."
The Fourth Walsh
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Playwright Sadieh Rifai tells the tale of a Palestinian-American family facing internal and external conflicts at home. Rifai sets the story in the days leading up to the first Gulf War. The family has moved into an Ohio gated community after a tragic incident in their Las Vegas hometown.The lifestyle shift brings additional strife. While Bonnie (played by the always fierce Kirsten Fitzgerald) is fretting about their precocious daughters, noisy neighbors and lack of money, her husband Jamil (played by H. Adoni Esho) is preoccupied with his Muslim roots and the local mosque. As global turmoil escalates, the cultural conflict gets personal when Bonnie and Jamil become suspicious of each other."
NewCity Chicago
- Recommended
"...“The Cave” is at its best when it focuses on the relationships between the four core family members. Fitzgerald and Esho have excellent chemistry—you believe in their marriage, which makes it tough to watch as trouble seeps in. Montana and Liss have great energy as sisters who protect each other despite their squabbles."
