The Christmas Foundling at Pride Arts Center - The Buena

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Codirectors Danne W. Taylor and David Zak's production is a sometimes-charming but mostly shallow telling, full of wistful monologues about homelands, ham-fisted cultural clashes between miners, and improv night-style broad accents. But a cappella renditions of carols provide some Christmas spirit, and young Lombardo meets the high demands this Pride Films and Plays production places on his small shoulders."

Stage and Cinema - Recommended

"...You could call it a second coming of Christmas from our Golden West. Delivered with the grit and gusto of 19th century raconteur Bret Harte, The Christmas Foundling is a likable tale from the California Gold Rush, specifically a late-blooming nativity on Christmas Eve. Norman Allen's 2001 period piece, now warmed up by directors Danne W. Taylor and David Zak for Pride Films and Plays, spins the affecting story of a baby whose mother dies of cold and who is then reared by two gold prospectors in Piney Gulch, a hollow in the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains. Tracing his life from 1850 through 1862, this very musical chronicle celebrates good hearts in tough times where being strong and hard were not the same thing."

Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended

"...This play with music isn’t groundbreaking or unusual. It’s a familiar story, the ending of which most theatergoers could almost predict themselves. But the production is heartfelt and appealing. Danne W. Taylor proves he’s not only a terrific actor, but an accomplished director and he’s brought several newcomers to the PFP stage for his pleasantly joyous production."

Chicago Theater and Arts - Recommended

"...This is a feel good family friendly show with an inspirational if somewhat cliché plotline that might be a bit too saccharine for some but might just satisfy the sweet tooth of others."

Chicago On Stage - Recommended

"...Overall, this little play, while rather predictable-but then again what holiday show isn't?-is still able to warm the soul. Its message about the meaning of family is welcome as the holidays are upon us, with a reminder that blood is not the only criterion. In fact, this chosen family is easily as good for Tom, and in many ways is better, than his actual kin. But this play does not vilify Sarah or her family either; instead, Allen makes it clear that many elements go into becoming a family and raising a child well and every one of them is important."

TotalTheater - Highly Recommended

"...The unusually brief lead-up to Christmas in 2019 made for overcrowding of holiday show schedules resulting in small audiences throughout the city, but the greatest loss is the sparse attendance for this little parable, whose quiet charm, diverse characterizations, and down-home serenades under Danne E. Taylor's unobtrusive direction are as far from the seasonal glut of squeaking jingle-belled elves and glitter-spitting angels as its cozy Uptown storefront stage is from the kaleidoscopic clamor of the big-budget extravaganzas a few blocks south."