The Meatlocker Reviews

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...This final play in Bob Fisher's "Noir Triptych" for the Mammals shares several qualities with the previous installments--characters fleeing the past, stylized delirium, a hint of the supernatural--but it's also more straightforwardly told. The gain in accessibility is offset by the loss of some of the mystery and menace that made the other plays so compellingly weird."

Centerstage - Somewhat Recommended

"...No matter how far you run, or how hard you fight, death will catch up. And what do you lose trying to outrun it? That's the question explored in writer/director Bob Fisher's fascinating, disturbing and ultimately frustrating new play "The Meat Locker.""

Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...Ringside barker Radio Howard (Lacey) sets the sweaty tone at the outset with a vein-popping performance just short of too much. Lykins does marvelously relaxed, engaging work as manager Manny; Van Dyke handles her Girl Friday role with aplomb; and Gonzalez (as the bookie), with ample assistance from sidekick Garza, owns every scene he’s in. As is also his hallmark, Fisher (over)reaches for the jugular in Act II with mixed results, but this probably represents the best introduction imaginable to his eerie oeuvre."

Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended

"...The Meatlocker drips testosterone. The one woman in the play, A.J. The Reporter (strongly played by Nicolle Van Dyke) is as tough, or tougher, than her male counterparts, to the point that she has a late night, dark alley conversation with tough guy Rudy the Rhino (the truly terrifying Gabe Garza), who initiates the conversation by jumping out of the shadows and threatening to rape her. There is not a motivation in the world that would keep a woman in that situation, and this choice may be the weakest moment in the show. The ultra-masculinity of The Meatlocker is what makes it great, but like its hero, it is also its greatest flaw."