The Tall Boy at Stage 773

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...The sight of Tandy Cronyn, the 74-year-old actress and daughter of Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, working alone in a small theater on chilly Belmont Avenue in Chicago in December can only mean one thing. Cronyn considers this important work."

Chicago Sun Times - Recommended

"...The tall boy's predicament is particularly excruciating. Try as she might, Missus is unable to explain American segregation and why a soldier who is "black as night" can't adopt a white child like the tall boy - at least not in the U.S. In Cronyn's performance, you can practically see the wheels turning in the tall boy's head as he tries to figure out why something as arbitrary, unfair and useless as race-based separation would be the law of the land. The stars above shine the same on everyone, he also points out."

Windy City Times - Highly Recommended

"...Under David Hammond's uncluttered direction, Tandy Cronyn navigates Boyle's spartan prose with deft efficiency for the performance's 70 minutes, never breaking the vocal flow between personae, while her body language invokes environments ranging from deserted forests to an office cobbled from military-issue equipment and 18th-century furnishings left by the-um, previous occupants."

Around The Town Chicago - Recommended

"...I know that many people feel that there are far to many films and plays that remind us of the tragedy that was World War II. As a person who lost some family during this period . I know that my parents always said “We must never forget”! Perhaps, the continuation of plays and movies ( as well as books that often form these plays and films) is why we will “never forget”. This will make sure that nothing like what happened will ever take place again. Or so it is hoped!"

Picture This Post - Somewhat Recommended

"...For this viewer, THE TALL BOY doesn't take shape until halfway through its 65-minute length. The script doesn't specify much about Missus beyond her role at the orphanage and Cronyn's characterization conveys little about her interior life. What finally infuses the show with urgency is the Czech boy's overwhelming desire to reunite with Charlie, the black GI who taught him auto mechanics. Finally, when Missus explains that the white refugee can't live with Charlie in his Southern hometown because of America's "color question," the small stage fills with emotion. Racism, as well as language, depends on how and when we learned it."

Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended

"...For lovers of theater, the opportunity to experience Tandy Cronyn creating magic should not be missed. Entering the theater, a radio is announcing the end of a difficult war. Roosevelt, Churchill and an announcer describe crowds, parades and celebrations. The stage is set with a cot, a desk and a stand for a radio and a thermos. No curtain, no change of sets or costumes. Some lighting and sounds embellish the work. Otherwise, it is the skill and brilliance of Tandy Cronyn seamlessly moving in and out of many roles, rapidly sharing their characters, with a range of accents and gestures that brought me into the time and space of the story."