Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Frankly, the way this thing is written requires all three actors just to insist on their own rectitude, whatever the cost. That’s not the way these debates unfold at media organizations in real life, of course. Strong points of view are common, but most writers who care about truth welcome fact-checkers working to save them from their own mistakes. Great storytelling can survive an insistence on veracity. And, for that matter, so can great comedy."
Chicago Reader
- Recommended
"...Yet still, even as I was chuckling over the intellectual debates and interpersonal squabbles in The Lifespan of a Fact, I felt a disquieting tug somewhere in my brain. With the fog of war descending again in the Middle East and the forces of fascism gearing up for another bite at the apple of our fragile republic, arguments over whether a teenage boy’s body hit the ground after falling for eight or nine seconds seem pretty irrelevant. Then again, who decides which facts matter, and which ones don’t? And what happens if we choose incorrectly?"
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...How fabulous that Timeline Artistic Director, PJ Powers returns to his acting roots for a powerful performance that blends artistry with emotional integrity. Juliet Hart, as his editor, finds herself caught between the great writer and the young upstart fact checker who pushes her to her editorial limits."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...In an world where we've been told that the media presents "alternative facts," when truth and accuracy prompt us to make judgments about what's real, this is an important play. Exploring today through the lens of the past is TimeLine Theatre's mission. Through the play's sharp dialogue, unexpected comedy and realistic characters who are polar opposites, this entertaining one-act play debates the importance of truth versus the freedom of writing fiction."
Buzz Center Stage
- Recommended
"...Based on a book by two authors and giving playwriting credit to three authors, "The Lifespan of a Fact" speaks in a notably singular voice. Now in its Chicago premiere at TimeLine Theatre, the play takes a celebrated freelance writer, his editor at an esteemed magazine, and a newbie factchecker through a weekend clash over an essay. As the trio speeds towards a Monday morning deadline to get copy to a printing press in Kankakee, IL, they wrestle with the difference between fact and truth."
Third Coast Review
- Somewhat Recommended
"...An eager young intern for a famous magazine agrees to take on a new, fast turnaround assignment: fact-checking an important essay by a famous writer. The essay is to be the lead article in the magazine’s next issue; the fact-checking must be completed by Monday morning. It’s now late Wednesday."
Chicago On Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...Moe gets incredible performances from her cast playing characters who get so lost in their arguments that at one point D'Agata actually starts to strangle Fingal. Both of the men are fully convinced of the truth of their own points of view, passionately arguing their points, and Hart, at first rather exasperated by her intern fact-checker, comes to recognize that there really is a lot she and her magazine could get in trouble for. The playwrights don't really take sides, and we never actually learn what Penrose's ultimate decision is, but that isn't the point."
MaraTapp.org
- Recommended
"...It is a joy to see TimeLine Artistic Director P. J. Powers and Founding Company Member Juliet Hart back on stage because both are exemplary actors. Powers plays the journalist with a swagger made famous by such star writers as Truman Capote and Normal Mailer, and practiced by many white male journalists with less public profiles. Hart is Emily Penrose, the hard-as-nails woman editor who can handle the male journalism world. They spar with the younger intern Jim Fingal, impressively portrayed by Alex Benito Rodriguez impressive."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...TimeLine Theatre Company is familiar with bringing lived experiences to the stage. Whether it’s a fictionalized version of what Hattie McDaniel’s 1939 Oscar experience was like or a retelling of an adolescence spent defending the constitution in VFWs, TimeLine demonstrates the past in myriad ways. Honestly, this show could not be more perfect for this company."
