Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...All that said, this show has long stretches that don't work as well: the earthy scene set in the past is very awkwardly staged from a physical perspective and no one involved looks even remotely comfortable in what they are doing. The storytelling just doesn't track all the way in this production, which has a way of painting itself into difficult corners and then making the journey from one time and place to another rather too clunky and inorganic to be believable in its own world. This promising play, I think, needed more help and tougher questions that it gets here."
Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Jessica Dickey's play, "The Rembrandt," now in its Chicago premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre, is full of ideas - about art and love, mortality and immortality, and the price paid for either obeying the rules or defying them. It has its inspired moments - most notably when John Mahoney arrives on stage as Homer, the blind bard of ancient Greece whose epic poems on war and its aftermath - "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" - are foundational works of Western civilization that more than likely began as oral storytelling (in some sense "theater") and were only later put into writing. But this also is a jarringly uneven play that tries too hard to be hip and often ends up undercutting the very meaningful notions it is meant to explore."
Daily Herald - Recommended
"...The time-shifting script by playwright Jessica Dickey ("The Amish Project") often teeters toward cloying silliness with earthy humor. But the play's masterful performers -- led by Steppenwolf ensemble members Francis Guinan and John Mahoney -- navigate the pitfalls to reveal touching meditations on mortality and the endurance of art."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Truly, the whole 90-minute show comes across as an olive branch to the folks Henry's talking about, the sort who bravely endured the theatrical self-criticism sessions of Steppenwolf's last few months. The Rembrandt is a sweet, unchallenging contrivance that flirts ever so gently with transgression but ultimately leaves no doubt that its essentially complacent heart belongs to the Western canon."
Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Rembrandt and Homer discuss their work. A maudlin Rembrandt ( Guinan ) is disgusted with painting his own face, insults wealthy patrons and has a love/hate relationship with his needy adult son ( Olwin ). Homer ( Mahoney ) says his work must be heard, not written down and read, and he doubts whether his writings will endure ... and he isn't blind. En route, Dickey's exposition and ideas are heavy-handed and repetitious. She doesn't intend to write down to audiences, but she does until the final scene. Even if amusing, The Rembrandt is pedestrian and unsubtle. It tackles admittedly profound ideas and the connections between people, but I'd settle for just the connections between Simon and Henry."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...The three eras fit nicely together thematically, if not dramaturgically. Similarly, Hallie Gordon’s physical staging feels a bit dislocated in this Steppenwolf production, but emotionally, Gordon and her impressive cast render it with precision brushstrokes."
Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended
"...Jessica Dickey’s play “The Rembrandt” is a thing of great spiritual beauty, but Francis Guinan’s performance – you might say in the title role – at Steppenwolf Theatre bears out the imperative of another character in the play, Homer: that poetry must be spoken aloud. Guinan takes Dickey’s eloquent and insightful text to a transcendent place."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...In The Rembrandt a masterpiece that we never see painted (just talked about and, worse, around) fuels some stirring speculation. But that fascination comes more from the situations than the script. In this very structured meditation on life and art's mysteries, Jessica Dickey has, necessarily or not, little to say about what makes this painting (frustratingly and perhaps perversely never shown) a litmus test for everyone who likes it."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...Have you ever thought about what might happen if you were to touch a museum work of art, just to see if anything special might happen? Many of us laughed fiercely when we saw the films depicting all of the works of art come to life, "Night At The Museum" starring Ben stiller ( with many cameos and guests). Those three films (there may even be more) were farcical, silly and kind of meaningless, but I have a feeling may have been the inspiration for Jessica Dickey's "The Rembrandt", now having its Chicago Premiere Upstairs at Steppenwolf Theatre. This is a 90 minute (no intermission) play that is divided into four scenes, or sections. As the scenes are played out, one sees that all of the pieces of Dickey's "puzzle" make the story "whole"!"
The Fourth Walsh - Somewhat Recommended
"...THE REMBRANDT is about a work of art but isn't necessarily a work of art. It tells about lives but isn't necessarily about real life. It's more an imitation of both art and life."
Third Coast Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...The Rembrandt slips back and forth in time from a contemporary art museum to a Renaissance-era artist's studio, a Greek temple, and the room where an aging poet is dying. All this happens within the 90-minute scope of the play. The new Steppenwolf Theatre production by Jessica Dickey is a charming morsel of a play with a bit of sorrow and a nod to death."
The Hawk Chicago - Recommended
"...The writing is razor sharp and the acting is skillful, but the inclusion of the time jumping is an element that is never as fleshed out as the other facets of the play. Despite clever nods to the other scenes in both the writing and the stage design (an oriental vase prop carryover, a transplant line from a previous scene, etc.), it never becomes clear as to why the time jumping needs to occur in the first place. It was perhaps introduced to develop a thematic idea on the perseverance of art, but this theme seems to take backseat to the other topics and stories which are much more polished. This takes attention away from the strengths of the show as the audience grapples with re-familiarizing themselves with the different settings."
Chicago Theater and Arts - Recommended
"...Well directed by Hallie Gordon with excellent set design by Regina Garcia and fine costume design by Jenny Mannis, the play raises interesting ideas to ponder about art and personal relationships."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...All of this is played out under the careful direction of Hallie Gordon, who makes the most out of a cleverly designed set by Regina Garcia. Jenny Mannis' costumes too are dead on: Rodriguez's second act ensemble should be in a museum itself. Everything about this play is meticulously designed to remind us that what we are watching, too, is art, and we are having our own interactions with it."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...this is an engaging story that captures your imagination. From this writer's vantage point, it's not unlike a train ride through gorgeous scenery that is somewhat obliterated by smudges on the window. You too may find yourself longing for a bottle of windex and a rag to help get better focus-but you wouldn't crave that if there wasn't so much good view to take in."
NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...For its shortcomings as a production and the mixed signals it sends about the company's future, "The Rembrandt" is undeniably tender and sweet without becoming overripe or saccharine."