Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...There are some things the Goodman Theatre gets right with playwright Adam Rapp’s “The Sound Inside,” the first of three, streamed-live-from-the-theater productions planned for the aptly named “Live” series. But there are more things Rapp gets so wrong, that the drama starts to seem like a satire about emo English major undergrads and idiosyncratic professors who involve their students in their own dire health issues."
WTTW - Highly Recommended
"...Without giving away too much, it is enough to say that Bella is suddenly diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer, rejects chemotherapy, and recruits Christopher to administer end-of-life procedures. I will go no further except to say that “The Sound Inside” will echo loudly in your consciousness for a long time to come. And perhaps it is most fitting to end here with a quote from Dostoyevsky: “Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart.”"
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...The stars of this play are two exceptionally fine, first-rate Chicago actors. Playing Bella, a Yale University creative writing instructor, is the incomparable Mary Beth Fisher. Trying to motivate young writers of fiction by employing the works of popular novelists, Bella often sees her character as a hand reaching out in the darkness. As this 53-year-old, unattached college professor, a self-proclaimed mediocre author and somewhat of a recluse, Ms. Fisher gently underplays her role. Her portrayal is captivating, seeping into the cracks and shadows of the story to come out shining. But, just when the viewer thinks he knows where this story is headed, Rapp changes his trajectory and surprises us. This is, after all, a mystery play. To her credit, Mary Beth Fisher proves that she’s a true Renaissance actor, able to meet both the demands of the TV camera as well as the live stage."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...Both Fisher and Drea give excellent, nuanced performances. Falls' direction uses Sancianco's minimalist set design to stage a series of comfortable, confidential conversational settings for the two actors. Richard Woodbury's original music and sound design create a sensitive aural backdrop. Costume design is by Mieka van der Ploeg. Christiana Tye is video director and Gabe Hatfield is director of photography."
Chicago Theater and Arts - Recommended
"...“The Sound Inside,” by Adam Rapp, the Jefferson Award winning and Pulitzer Prize nominated playwright of “Red Light Winter,” is a perfect choice for Goodman Theatre’s first live performance on its Owen Theatre stage."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...Are you missing the singular experience of attending a play performed live in front of you with everyone involved completely aware that there are no do-overs, no rewinds, no net? Well, the Goodman Theatre has not yet reopened to live audiences, but it does have the next best thing: a new production being broadcast daily (through 5/16) from its Owen Theatre stage at the same moment you are watching it at home. The only audience watching it in-house consists of the tech workers—camera operators, running, lighting and sound crews, etc.—who are needed to make it happen (and are still plenty of people to create a well-deserved final applause—another thing I’ve missed during this pandemic)."
PicksInSix - Highly Recommended
"...The expertly paced, evolving drama is a stunning reminder of the power of live theatre. Multiple cameras explore the professor’s office, a restaurant, various rooms within her apartment, a steamy, provocative scene that begins at a local bar and ends in a no-tell motel, and a treatment center. All the while, Fisher’s impassioned portrayal of a life in crisis draws us in deeper, positing questions of life, death and morality at every turn. It is easy to see the intellectual attraction that develops between Fisher and Drea, who is making a fine Goodman debut in a role that showcases a complex character whose youthful arrogance melts into twisted admiration for his mentor with dire consequences."
