Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...“The Humanities” has been around for quite a while, and I suspect it scared off several nonprofit theaters. It was one of the winning plays showcased, bravely so, at the Eugene O’Neill Center in Connecticut back in 2019. I was there that summer and heard all kinds of buzz but did not see the show."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...I'm not sure that's happening in Dohrn's latest play, The Humanities, now onstage at Victory Gardens under interim artistic director Edward Torres's hand. In this play, the academy, not the streets, forms the crucible for what passes for revolution. The decision by the chair of the department of "literature and culture" to invite Luka Jarry (Daniil Krimer), a former student and current Charlie Kirk-like right-wing demagogue, to deliver a speech on campus ignites the proceedings."
Stage and Cinema
- Recommended
"...The Humanities is structured as five books, spread out over two acts. Each of these books is introduced with a monologue from one of the professors, with a sixth monologue from Luka Jarry at the midway point of the play. These monologues take the shape of press releases, lectures, and introductions. In between, the characters argue, flirt, bicker, pair off, and fuck. The scenes are very short, and there's an excessive amount of scenery moved on and off the stage."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...This play is a sensory and conceptual overload and probably needs to be seen more than once to unpack all that is compressed in this two hour story. Not a single character is a hero here, but neither does it appear that is there a villain. Victory Gardens has pulled no punches in this inaugural offering and it’s a tale that needs to be bravely told and marinated on right now. Mission accomplished."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The play's plot has value; however, it felt more like an erotic escapade of individuals discovering their sexuality than a meaningful protest against a controversial speaker. It featured unnecessary nudity that added no significance to the production."
Around The Town Chicago
- Recommended
"...Directed by Edward Torres, the 9 characters in this story are quite realistic. There are parts of the production where the actors are in the audience and play from there, being brought on the stage as if they were truly guests that were called on. This was quite believable as we had no idea that the so called audience members/students attending a guest speaker’s talk were not really among us, until they hit the stage."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...Coincidentally (or not), Victory Gardens' new play about a controversial campus speaker opens just days after the one-year anniversary of Charlie Kirk's assassination. Returning from a lengthy hiatus, Victory Gardens once again lights up the Biograph Theater with the world premiere of Zayd Ayers Dohrn's new play "The Humanities"."
Third Coast Review
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The Humanities, as its title suggests, is a play about events on a university campus. Playwright Zayd Ayers Dohrn writes about a fictional Lincoln University and a free speech controversy that tears the campus, faculty and student body apart. The world premiere drama, which needs some work before its next production, is directed by Edward Torres. Victory Gardens Theater, which has primarily been a rental house since a major organizational shakeup in 2022, brings a full production of its own to the stage."
PicksInSix
- Somewhat Recommended
"...One of the most difficult things, I believe, for any dramatist to do is to look at an event in history and, in telling the story, put their own spin on its reality and its results. In watching “The Humanities,” the first production of Victory Gardens Theater in quite a while, it becomes even more apparent that they want to leave a mark, to mark a special moment—indeed, to make even a small difference in today's cultural heritage."
Curtain Call Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Zayd Ayers Dohrn’s “The Humanities” arrives at a relevant and turbulent moment for both higher education and Chicago theater, and its world-premiere production at Victory Gardens makes the most of that collision of interests. This play is a smart, combative, dramatically alive new play making its world premiere and it asks audiences not just to choose a side, but to see the contradictions within the side they choose."
