The Cryptogram Reviews
Chicago Tribune- Somewhat Recommended
"...I haven't seen a full production of "The Cryptogram" since 1996, when the Steppenwolf Theatre (Amy Morton and Mark Vann were the stars) produced one of those famous Chicago productions that made every other Chicago theater run afeard of the title for many years to come. It is good to see the piece again, especially in the very intimate confines of the Alley Stage (Profiles' original space), where the designer, Thad Hallstein, has created a kind of sepia-colored, washed out version of a 1950s home. It is underscaled, which only emphasizes the child's point of view, especially since Lamm is small for his age."
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
"...The unfailingly precise cast understand the terror inherent in the seemingly innocuous suburban living room where addled ten-year-old John tries to make sense of his father's unexplained absence. His frazzled mother, Donny, and her dubious friend Del offer nothing but euphemisms, evasions, and lies, driving the child into a full-on existential crisis. It's no surprise off-Loop stalwarts Abigail Boucher and Darrell W. Cox convincingly convey the intricate script's life-and-death stakes. But as John, seventh-grader Aaron Lamm turns a nearly impossible role into a harrowing, pitch-perfect depiction of childhood's psychic evisceration. It's almost too honest to bear."
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
"...Boucher too is at the top of her game. She lends real depth to a mother pulled painfully between nurturing and exasperation for her troubled son. At last, as betrayals pile on top of her, she must struggle to choose between tending to him or herself. Though the ending is cloaked in ambiguity, one gets the sense that this last decision is the real crux for Mamet. Indeed, the setting (Mamet’s hometown) and age of the boy (the age Mamet himself was in 1959) give us clues to the personal nature of this work. How do children navigate grown-up worlds, and how do grown-ups navigate the children who exist at the seams?"
Chicago On the Aisle- Recommended
"...That exchange between Cox and Lamm is classic Mamet: Cox’s contained – even buttoned-up — Del speaking slowly and deliberately, Lamm’s wound-up John excitedly repeating what he hears, confirming that he gets it, offering his own illustrative examples. It’s like a two-part sonata in which the pianist is playing at a moderate tempo against a violinist improvising on themes at double the speed. And in spinning out Mamet’s intricate counterpoint, Lamm never misses a beat."
Stage and Cinema- Recommended
"...This twentieth anniversary Profiles Theatre production directed by Joe Jahraus gives Mamet’s domestic drama an incredibly intimate feel. Thad Hallstein’s living room set has the audience sitting quite close by on either side, as if invited for afternoon tea or evening cocktails. Raquel Adorno’s period costumes add a welcome dash of Mad Men-era glamor. At just seventy minutes long without intermission, The Cryptogram is a tightly wound miniature packed with uncomfortable truths. If you have the patience to unravel it, the results are worthwhile."
ChicagoCritic- Somewhat Recommended
"...This gripping play is too manipulative and repetitive for my taste but young Aaron Lamm’s sharp, intelligent and empathetic performance may be the only reason to sit through the 70 minute Hitchcockian menace. I wonder why Proflies Theatre picked this play? They have, over the last few years, mounted many terrific stage worthy plays."
Chicago Stage and Screen- Recommended
"...Young Aaron Lamm as the boy, John, does an amazing job with the difficult and often repetitive dialogue. Filling in for the role of Donny, the mother, Courtney Lessner also brings a strong presence to the role. Most amazing is Darrell Cox as Del, the gay friend who is instrumental in the destructive events in Donny’s life. In a total transformation from the intense and often violent roles he has played, Cox makes the gentle Del both pitiable and yet unfathomable. It is a tour de force for him."
Around The Town Chicago- Recommended
"...The a atypical Chicago storefront performing space at The Profiles Theatre's Alley Stage in which audience members observe the stage in traditional theatre seating but from opposite sides is ideal for the its production of David Mamet's domestic nightmare "Cryptogram." Such a set-up invites us into a 1959 living room where outstanding technical work (directed by Jacob Puralewski), particularly the set (Thaad Hallstein), costume (Raquel Adorno), and lighting design (Raquel Adorno), create a sense of a comfort, warmth, and even nostalgia that is constantly upset by Mamet's script."
Chicago Theatre Review- Highly Recommended
"...As with all Profiles productions, the casting could not be better, though the play’s most extraordinary moments come courtesy of Aaron Lamm, a seventh grader at Wilmette Junior High School who defied all my expectations. Don’t get me wrong, Darrell W. Cox (a four-time Jeff winner) and Abigail Boucher are superb, but given how “Cryptogram” is structured, an enormous weight rests on Lamm’s small shoulders, and he handles his demanding role with remarkable insight and presence. Child actors can be hit-or-miss affairs; even in movies and television, when take after take is possible, child performers can underwhelm, so I approached “Cryptogram” with an inevitable skepticism – thanks to the superb efforts of Lamm, though, I walked away moved."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews- Recommended
"...“The Cryptogram” is obviously a very personal play for Mamet, possibly autobiographical. Ultimately it’s a work for Mamet completests and well below such classics as “American Buffalo,” “Speed-the-Plow,” and “Glengarry Glen Ross.” But it’s worth 65 minutes of an attentive playgoer’s time for its impressively mature performance by Aaron Lamm and a superior portrait of a woman in emotional pain as conveyed by Abigail Boucher, an actress I would love to see an a more substantial play. And viewers who enjoy making a party game out of divining a playwright’s meanings and intentions from obscurities in his script should have an agreeably challenging experience."
Splash Magazine- Highly Recommended
"...If you've ever had a moment when you felt the foundations of your world falling apart you will likely draw from that well of experience to digest this play. If you have somehow had a magical life without such loss, consider this compact script and well-directed work (Director, Joe Jahraus) a superbly acted primer."