Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...Better yet, "The Moors" is a funny play, especially typified in this production with the fast-paced scenes between Aldridge's Agatha and Jennifer Engstrom's Marjory, the show's creepy shape-shifter of a maid - like Mrs. Danvers from "Rebecca" on steroids."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Director Kirsten Fitzgerald's 100-minute staging showcases what has long been A Red Orchid's singular strength: committed, razor-sharp ensemble members capable of wresting profundity (and a whole lot of laughter) from absurdity, or rather, what initially sounds like absurdity."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...What distinguishes Jen Silverman's deconstructive dissection of an entertainment genre reflecting 18th- and 19th-century consumer sensibilities from the slapstick spoofery of, say, Mel Brooks, is the feminist subtext she applies to the theme of repressed women driven to homicide in their desperation to escape the torpor imposed on their gender-circumstances mitigating (if not entirely justifying) the extreme solutions echoed in the fates of the lonely Mastiff and the timid Moor-Hen he befriends, whose actions are determined solely by natural law."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...A Red Orchid Theatre has always been one of my favorite places to see a play. Their ensemble is composed of some of Chicago's finest and the venue itself, with its intimacy is perfect for a chamber piece like "The Moors". We can feel the wind and hear the wind (Jeffrey Levin) and the lighting effects ( Kali Story) are amazing. The costumes (Myron Elliott-Cisneros) are unique , with great period dresses and a bird suit that will impress you. All of the main characters in this black comedy are searching for love and what happens in this play is powerful and will make you think. The ending is very special and not what you might think will happen. As I said- you MUST see this one and have until February 27th to do so."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...This wonderful production of Jen Silverman's unconventional black comedy, beautifully directed with skill and flair, makes a fine show for returning to A Red Orchid Theatre, following months of a pandemic shutdown. Proof of full vaccination and masks are required by the audience, to keep everyone healthy and safe. But patrons won't be safe from enjoying the gleefully unhinged performances that abound in this crazy female power struggle, parodied in this absurd, anachronistic theatrical world."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...The dialogue in The Moors is exquisitely funny. It is also revelatory about the inner workings of longing and the facades that people wear. Director Kirsten Fitzgerald gives sharp and quick pacing to the action. In an intimate setting like Red Orchid, there is no room for missteps and there are none. The Moors is ensemble work at its best. Myron Elliott-Cisneros' costumes add to the subversive nature of the play. Agatha wears a black gown that shimmers like feathers but with brass zippers for a touch of punk rock or maybe even S&M. I am relatively sure that zippers were not invented until the 20th century, but they accentuate the character of Agatha as a tightly wound woman who goes against the grain and has the mien of a predator."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...Kirsten Fitzgerald's deft direction, aided by Jeffrey Levin's brilliant sound design and K. Story's lighting, makes room for everything that Silverman's script has to throw at us: the mystery, the horror, the philosophy, the character depth, and the humor all play beautifully. One of the best moments in the show, a one-woman tour-de-force from Gorman, combines the gothic pathos with the kind of brilliant, outrageous comedy that makes audiences want to brave the pandemic and keep attending the theatre."
BroadwayWorld - Recommended
"...Guy Van Swearingen and Dado make quick work of the play's B plot as the family Mastiff and a Moor-Hen. The more absurdist elements of Silverman's play clearly come through in the conversations between dog and bird as they engage in existential conversations and contemplate their relationship. Though it's undoubtedly a bizarre scenario, Van Swearingen and Dado embrace it with aplomb. And while THE MOORS is not laugh-out-loud funny, these roles have some of the best quips."
