The Diviners Reviews

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Emily Korff's mostly level-headed production for Speaking Ring Theatre features some tight ensemble acting and achieves an evocative atmosphere--though some overwrought displays of hysteria toward the end spoil the mood."

Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended

"...as we warm to the rural ambience invoked by Steve Baldwin and Joe Griffin's infectious ( if ambiguously selected ) musical score, and to the archetypes endemic to this genre—in particular, Joe Adamczak's clergyman-in-crisis, flanked by Josh Sumner and Laurence Bryan's salt-of-the-earth patriarchs—we come to accept their concern for this waif sufficiently to justify our concern, but never to the extent required to invoke genuine emotional involvement."

Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...In Leonard Jr.’s gothic prairie melodrama, a disillusioned Dust Bowl preacher takes work as a farmhand in a hamlet where the local soothsayer is a raving teenage boy; the youth is abnormally terrified of water (his mother drowned) yet can locate precious underground aquifers. Korff’s staging, though lean and unpretentious, frequently hits a distracting wall: The actors are smarter than the characters they’re playing."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...Dave Urlakis is wonderful as the mental-challenged boy. Joe Adamczak, Laurence Bryan and Erin Orr were notable from an ensemble that mounted fine performances. Come enter the world of rural America and see how simple folks struggled to find meaning in the tough times. Speaking Ring Theatre has presented a worthy drama. You’ll like this show as I did."