The Long Christmas Dinner presented by TUTA Theatre at Bramble Arts Loft

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...That said, plenty in the small crowd appeared tickled by the off-beat vibe and, for sure, the show is likely to make you rethink some holiday interactions. There also are some intriguingly lively performances to enjoy and you’re back out on the street within the hour, although the Bramble is so lovely, you might not want to leave." .

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...In TUTA Theatre's production of Thornton Wilder's The Long Christmas Dinner (written by the author of Our Town when he was teaching at the University of Chicago), directed by Jacqueline Stone, characters seem to recur as cast members are reincarnated as their own descendants. In the brevity of such episodes, it can seem difficult to invest in the details, yet impossible not to confront, within the mundanity of each occurrence and recurrence, the same tragic smallness of loss and love within our own lives. "We let him go so casually," weeps Leonora. "Only time, only the passing of time," says Lucia. "Don't grieve.""

Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended

"...The strength of the play and this production is that I wanted to spend time with each character, asking them more about their lives and views. Hooked and left wanting more, this is successful theatre. I wonder that it is not produced more often. See it while you can."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...While watching the performance, the audience cannot help but think back about those family members who were once prominent in the story of our own lives and who might have sat around our own festive table. We too might use a presumably happy occasion to be nostalgic for times past or dream about the future or think about the times when people we love were not in declining health. We might compare our own family to that of the ideal Norman Rockwell painting—and recognize that the two never match up. Perhaps the holidays become an excuse to reflect upon our own shortcomings or unmet expectations."

Buzznews.net - Highly Recommended

"...Most impressive was the meticulous pacing and abundance of satisfying nuance director and TUTA co-artistic director, Jacqueline Stone, built into the production. She insured small gestures resonated with unexpected force and light touches of humor glittered brightly enough to make the project shine with warmth and contemporary flair."

Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended

"...Thank god for TUTA Theatre and their production of Thornton Wilder's 1931 one-act The Long Christmas Dinner, directed by Jacqueline Stone in the company's first performance at the new Bramble Arts Loft. In this feel-bad Christmas-themed story we get so much of what holiday "entertainment" denies: characters with real flaws, lives altered by the forces of history, extreme emotions both positive and negative. And all of it presented by a cast of tremendous actors."

Chicago Theater and Arts - Highly Recommended

"...The Long Christmas Dinner is like a river we have stepped into at some point. It was clearly flowing before we entered and it and its tributaries will continue to flow after we leave its shores."