Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"... There's not a seat or bench in sight, so be prepared; you will be standing or walking for the full 100 minutes of the show. I think director Eric Hoff overestimates the average person's endurance for this sort of thing, especially for a show as hard to comprehend as this 1994 work from Caryl Churchill, which seems to be about the urges that drive young mothers to infanticide. Or maybe it's not about that at all. No one seems to agree what this play is about exactly, and in some ways that is one of its strengths. Churchill rarely comes at an issue head-on; there's a bit of Anthony Burgess in her sensibility here, a bit of H.P. Lovecraft —a fairy tale so fractured, I dare say it doesn't exist."
Chicago Sun Times
- Not Recommended
"... A fanciful mix of magical realism, horror story and myth, “The Skriker” is a dense, potentially confounding piece that demands clarity in its performances if the audience is to have any hope of making sense of the alternately symbolic, allegorical and fantasy-fueled narrative. Churchill’s work is always challenging — her dialogue callsto mind JamesJoyce’s “Ulysses” in its dense, rapid-fire amalgam of free-flowing rhyme, subtext and references to everything from pop culture to ancient myth. Here challenging quickly becomes impenetrable."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...The titular fairy may be ancient and evil, but in Caryl Churchill's surreal 1994 drama she also has a sense of humor. Played with wicked wit and chilling desperation by Sadie Rogers, the shapeshifter haunts new mother Lily and her sister Josie, who's killed her own newborn. The most creative and multidimensional character is the set, which is constantly mutating in Red Tape Theatre's promenade-style production. Walls close in, lights dim, and monstrous characters appear from behind closed doors while the audience walks warily from scene to scene."
Centerstage
- Recommended
"... Red Tape Theatre's 'The Skriker' is not only one of the most striking theatrical experiences currently running, it's also probably the best haunted house experience you'll find this year. Taking an already trippy script by the renowned British playwright Caryl Churchill, director Eric Hoff has created a full on house of horrors to wrap it up in."
Time Out Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...A loose structure, though, is no excuse for sloppiness, and Hoff’s queasy production rides off the rails early on. Amid moving walls that form a constantly changing labyrinth, audiences are ushered through Churchill’s bleak reality to a decadent hellscape and back. It’s a better idea in concept than in execution, which amounts to trudging laps around a stifling gymnasium while waiting for set pieces to be moved and trying to ignore woefully misconceived side business, seemingly designed to grate. Grounded, urgent performances by Sadie Rogers, Carrie Drapac and Amanda Drinkall are swallowed whole by the surrounding directorial decadence. If Red Tape’s production aimed for fever dream, it falls short at fever headache."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow
- Recommended
"...Playwright Caryl Churchill penned an ode to insanity. Churchill creates multiple scenarios where a pregnant girl is pursued by this supernatural creature. Her best friend is on guard but also delusional. The story itself is a montage of contemporary reality and ghoulish fantasy. Under the multi-faceted direction of Eric Hoff, the experience is part fun-house, part haunted-house, part mad-house."
Around The Town Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...This is a “promenade” play directed by Eric Hoff. We never sit down and walk around the dimly lit auditorium as walls move from area to area and tables, which become bed are rolled from place to place. When we begin our journey we are brought to a stack of bodies where The Skriker emerges and starts to set the stage, so to speak. I understand that this is an English play, but more often than not, the use of accents impairs our ability to understand what is being said. Even more so as we march about from place to place, often far from the action because other characters are coming through doors of the movable walls. By the way, they tell us 90 minutes, no intermission, but actual running time was closer to 2 hours ( so make sure you use the loo before entering the stage area)."
Huffington Post
- Highly Recommended
"... This isn't a play for everyone. I could see many confused faces as we took this journey into the underworld together. And who can blame them? Churchill's script explores greed, motherhood, sexuality, obsession, isolation, mental illness and sanity -- oftentimes in a single scene. The plot, which concerns the Skriker attempting to possess two teenage mothers, Lily and Josie (Carrie Drapac and Amanda Drinkall, respectively), is both distressing and confounding. Who is the Skriker? What does she represent? I had my unique theory (which I explained to my friends after the show, as they looked back at me through their beers with perplexed faces), but I encourage you to form your own interpretation. Bring an open mind, a sense of adventure and comfortable shoes as you enter Red Tape's underworld."
