Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...In fairness, it's a new script. Dollars to doughnuts there were late script changes and no one had much time to chart their character's journey to hell and back. I wonder if Holter really understands how much he is asking of his actors, and their director, here. He might hide it in his humor and theatricality, but he's actually asking everything of this mostly young cast. Everything. It's that kind of play."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...With that, Holter's just getting started with his genre-busting, 90-minute spine-tingler. Directed with smarts and sass by Gus Menary, "The Light Fantastic" is a mashup of horror and pointed commentary on poverty, homophobia, assisted suicide and - crucially - whether a flaming dumpster fire of a human can change her ways."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...The cast is equally convincing. Paloma Nozicka makes it easy to believe in both Grace's former rebelliousness and her current exhaustion; she seems awfully in-your-face, however, for someone raised in the ethos of small-town Indiana. Diego Colón, meanwhile, is a perfect teddy bear as Eddie. Brianna Buckley effectively combines self-discipline and rage as Harriet the cop, making her all the more volcanic when she gets her opportunity to let go. Janice O'Neill pretty much defines "prickly" as mom. Tommy Malouf provides welcome relief from the ambient acrimony as a genuinely civil therapist. And Andrew Burden Swanson has enough of the Paul Bettany in him to give Rufus just a touch of the (irritably) tragic."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Holter’s customary blend of speed, bluster and humor is present throughout his script, with one particular moment—a late-in-the-game, hilarious and defiant soliloquy from Harriet—serving as something like his watermark on the script. A more “proper” play would have cut it. But Holter understands that being proper is for suckers."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...You can tell watching The Light Fantastic that Holter must have had a blast writing it. This translates to an evening where audience members seated near you are likely to be crying out in surprise one moment and laughing at Holter's fast-talking, barb-tongued characters the next. To be fair to the play's talented cast, each member of the ensemble also seems to be having a ball with all of the play's deliciously pulpy events-Brianna Buckley's late-play monologue to a tape recorder is a hysterical departure from the play's darker machinations, and Tommy Malouf's charming performance as an oddball doctor is also a treat."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"..."The Light Fantastic," Ike Holter's newest genre play, is the Chicago theater equivalent of a blockbuster film. It features an all-star cast of Paloma Nozicka, Diego Colón, Brianna Buckley, Tommy Malouf, Elena Maria Cohen, Janice O'Neill, and Andrew Burden Swanson. It's brought to you by the creative team (Holter and Jackalope artistic director Gus Menary) that made "Exit Strategy" and "Put Your House In Order." It has some of the cooler design concepts I've seen in Chicago (Steve Labedz's sound, Slick Jorgenson's lights, and Sotirious Livaditis' set in particular come together to create a very spooky world), and is packed to the brim with a remarkable balance of laughs and scares. There's a cold open and projected credits. It's a blockbuster."
