The Pilon Reviews

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Barr's play is wise and warm, with many lovely exchanges providing important insights. It's clear, for example, that Rhonda, who is also trans, is a source of support for Griffey, but she's also smart enough to see that Lex and Corbin have a bond-even if the latter hasn't picked up on the former's attraction yet. The generational connections that collecting provides (Rhonda treasures a baseball card from her father, and collecting cards is also something that Griffey's dad does, though the boy isn't ready to share that part of his life with him yet) also feel resonant and honest."

Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

"...Sometimes theater takes you places you never expected - or even wanted - to find yourself. For some, Red Theater's latest production, The Pilon, might fall somewhere along that spectrum. Set in a contemporary Seattle shop that sells sports cards, nothing about it will feel familiar to anyone who's never followed a sports team or realized that collecting and trading cards commemorating sports heroes - particularly baseball players - is still a thing. It is. After rebounding from its desperate days in the late '90s and early 2000s - caused by, among other things, work stoppages and overproduction - the collecting of sports cards has seen a notable resurgence. Today, the pastime and industry are once again poised to return to their glory days as a billion-dollar hobby and business. Part of what The Pilon does is introduce you to the people who populate that world. It also provides a bracingly interesting look at the various shades of love."

Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended

"...The set for the excellent Red Theater's latest production, The Pilon, directed by Jessica Love and written by Zach Barr, is the Wax Harvest Card Shop, in Seattle. The audience sits on three sides, and smack in the middle is the kind of small business that a certain, idealistic image of America conjures up: it's run by a family (with an eccentric elder at the head), the customer base is small but loyal and the neighborhood has changed around it while the interior has stayed exactly the same. It's like the bar in Cheers or Central Perk in Friends - well worn, well-loved and welcoming."

Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended

"...Director Love does a brilliant job of bringing these characters to life. I could well imagine her and her cast working hard on many of the interactions here as well as on finding the inner fears and joys that the Wax Harvest crew harbor. Her blocking-on a well-conceived set designed by Manual Ortiz and meticulously decorated by Chas Mathieu that places the audience in the shop-keeps what could easily have become an overly static production moving. She does have an unfortunate tendency to place young Levander in lengthy presentational positions that feel unnatural even in this thrust staging, but otherwise everything works perfectly, and she and the cast even keep long behind-the-counter segments amazingly alive."

Werner's Theatre Reviews - Highly Recommended

"...Going into this performance unfamiliar with the script, I was grateful for the humor and heart that The Pilon delivered. As a wonderful introduction to Red Theater, this production left me eager to experience more of the company’s bold and compassionate storytelling. I look forward to seeing the performances and events they continue to bring to the Chicago community."