The Lonesome West presented by AstonRep Theatre Company at Raven Theatre

Daily Herald - Somewhat Recommended

"...As directed by Dana Anderson, the brothers snarl and shout almost from the start, despite Father Welsh's best efforts to pacify them. Problem is, when a play begins nearly at a fever pitch, there isn't much room to move. Boiling water can't boil hotter. By mid-play, McDonagh has engineered the departure of Father Welsh, and the badly underwritten role of a cheeky local girl who cares about him, Girleen Kelleher ( sympathetic work by Phoebe Moore ), leaving the brothers on their own. Although only 95 minutes long, the play soon becomes repetitive because the brothers don't change one iota from first to last. Todd and Tobin are capable actors with nowhere to go. Anderson is partly to blame, but so is McDonagh. The dark human underbelly dominates The Lonesome West through the brilliant mean wit of his words, and compensating values—let alone compassion—are not allowed equal weight."

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...McDonagh's play is not perfect. His dialogue is sometimes repetitious (intentionally so, but still it gets tedious). And after a while it's hard not to be weighed down by the bleak world he creates onstage. But this play also contains moments of sublime wit and power, especially in the hands of a director like Dana Anderson and her fine cast."

Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended

"...This story of brotherly love probably won’t be to everyone’s liking. It’s almost purely physical, with small bursts of quiet introspection and meditation. Four small-town characters, each with his own agenda, fight for a place in this tiny Irish community. The play is actually a comic thriller, laced with bouts of cruelty and violence, that may shake up and turn off certain audience members. The comedy is also, ironically, a fierce tennis match of words. The language and Irish rhythms bounce back and forth, serving to energize both the characters and the story they tell. This is a production that’s often difficult to watch, but it’s a story that audiences won’t soon forget."

Third Coast Review - Recommended

"...The play is a slice of life in which nothing changes from beginning to end. The two brothers are belligerent to each other at the beginning; they battle about the most mundane offenses. At one point near the end, they talk about childhood and adolescent crimes and transgressions, and apologize to each other for past deeds. Of course, this détente lasts about five minutes. As Valene says to Father Welsh, “Nobody’ll notice a biteen more hate, so, if there’s plenty enough hate in the world.”"

NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...Under Dana Anderson’s direction, AstonRep’s production is executed with a sincerity that leaves one bereft over the progress of humanity. Tobin and Todd have a complementary viciousness that seems born of excessively long acquaintance. Tacderas is moving in his role as a shiftless, despairing priest. Moore is about as lovely a weed as might grow in such terrible soil."