The Love of the Nightingale Reviews

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Timberlake Wertenbaker retells the story in this 1989 play, using it and other bits of ancient awfulness as a means to explore issues of gender and cultural difference. James Palmer's Red Tape Theatre production is well performed, but its combination of stylized flourishes and deep earnestness make it hard to sit through--and at some points, to understand."

Windy City Times - Highly Recommended

"...Our story is recounted through a variety of presentational devices—Korybantic dance, a cappella incidental music, live-action puppet shows, a map of ancient Greece and environs for tracing sea routes, a strobe-lit bacchanalia with revelers clad in black undies, two brawny wrestlers illustrating the nature of war—any one of which could easily drag the entire production into one giant chaotic mess. Under James Palmer's direction, however, the 22-member ensemble retains its focus every instant despite the handicaps of their vault-like space to render this up-and-coming young company a solid contender for 2010's most promising addition to Chicago's off-Loop theater community."

Centerstage - Somewhat Recommended

"...Young authors are always instructed to show, rather than tell. Timberlake Wertenbaker's "The Love of the Nightingale," as directed by James Palmer, is a perfect example of why: when it is showing, through theatrical metaphor, stage pictures, music, movement and action, it's often breathtaking. But when the invention pauses for characters to tell us exactly what the story means and underline every point, the audience interest flags severely. It's not enough to wipe out the play's many impressive points, but it keeps the show from living up to its own potential."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"... Palmer’s stylish production traps us in the midst of the action, with scenic designer William Anderson creating a smartly enclosed environment in the center of Red Tape’s church-gymnasium space. The claustrophobic feeling adds to Wertenbaker’s emphasis on silence in the face of oppression, whether it’s enforced by the oppressors or self-imposed. The playwright can get just a bit too pedantic, particularly in the commentary by her Serling-esque chorus figure (Robert Oakes), and Palmer and designers Ricky Lurie and Miles Polaski toe the line of cliché in their rave-like Bacchanalia staging. But as the lead trio, Meghan Reardon, Kate Romond and Vic May bring remarkable honesty and nuance to their archetypal characters."

ChicagoCritic - Not Recommended

"...This snail-paced show in a gym that was suffocatingly warm didn’t help matters. Greek myths are challenging for non-Equity theatre troupes. They try to use theatricality to spice up their productions. In this case nothing could have saved this weak, unfocused script."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Not Recommended

"...When the play came to a close, one hour and forty five minutes with no intermission, I asked myself what the point of the puppets were, other than a way of telling the story in a different manner. The Puppet Master can move the characters and place them where he wants as well as mold them and the story as he wants it told. Could some of the puppet stuff be cut down and the production be a 90 minute show? There are some messages in the story about love, desire, violence and betrayal, but I think the production as a whole needs some tightening to make the story clearer."

Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended

"...From their The Love of the Nightinggale, it is clear Red Tape has an aesthetic that works for them. Hopefully, they’ll expand and explore more of what made this play great. If Red Tape keeps churning out work like this, they’ll become a tiger of the storefront scene."