The Receptionist Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...But most of the time, Roy's character does her thing very deftly and amusingly. Both Neff, whose work is rich, and Esposito, who brings the right note of sadness, are careful to underplay their roles, adding nicely to the general sense of unease coaxed to the fore by the shrewdly generic. And Peter Moore, playing the visitor whose appearance up-ends the stability of this little corporate cesspool, is quite deliciously unmenacing, which makes him aptly creepy as he imposes the will of the central office, whose collective commandments are the nemesis of so many American workers, trying to keep their head down lest someone chop off their fingers."

Chicago Sun Times - Recommended

"...Bock’s play (and I will not spoil its surprise element) is about the banality of evil and its terrible consequences, about the way we can incorporate and compartmentalize extreme cruelty into our everyday lives, and about the way both rage and loneliness can feed our ability to do this. The performances are spot-on, as is the skillful storefront design by Stephen Harold Carmody (set) and Marianna Csaszar (costumes)."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...What sort of business is done there we don't know at first, but it's not presented as a mystery—and given the amount of time receptionist Beverly spends taking personal calls and gossiping about men with her emotionally fragile colleague Lorraine, it doesn't seem to matter much. Then we arrive at that what-did-he-just-say moment when we realize where we are and what's really been going on. As directed by Joanie Schultz and well acted by Cheryl Roy, Caroline Neff, Peter Moore, and Peter Esposito, The Receptionist is an amusing office comedy, until it's not."

Centerstage - Recommended

"... Adam Bock’s script relies on the idea of the banality of evil, and an early monologue from Beverly’s boss (Peter Esposito) establishes a feeling of menace with the audience that permeates the otherwise ordinary office scene. Beverly believes in rules as the only way to get through life, but when accusations of rule-breaking hit too close to home, she wants an exception made. This is a rich area of psychology to explore, but the play sticks to the surface, which makes it feel incomplete. That’s too bad, because director Joanie Schultz and the cast are clearly capable of doing more than Bock’s script requires."

Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...It may not call for the British accents they so often put on, but Adam Bock’s 2007 dark comedy is otherwise a perfect fit for Steep’s crew. It painstakingly sets up a workaday environment full of people with ordinary concerns before veering, so slightly you don’t quite feel it for a moment, into extraordinary circumstances."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"... The dramatic shift from comic corporate life to ominous vicious ‘business’ practices is smoothly handled thatfinds terror being exchanged for cute everyday trivial concerns. This is a powerful little play that speaks volumes. Cheryl Roy’s performance is worth the ticket price."

Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended

"...Under the direction of Joannie Schultz, the talented cast is riveting. Their authentic office antics makes me want to see this play again knowing the outcome. Were there preliminary signs of office upheaval? Handling the calls and drama, Cheryl Roy (Beverly) is an outstanding busybody. Roy is superiorly smug until she is usurped and then she’s a weeping basketcase. Caroline Neff plays self-involved colleague skank-iciously! It’s all about her! Neff flirts and whines with shameless intensity. Peter Moore is a mysteriously charming stranger. A guileless Moore stuns with seemingly out-of-character forcefulness."