The Targeted Reviews

Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended

"...The title of Hanna Kime’s sensitively drawn new play “The Targeted” refers to a real collection of many thousands of people — “Targeted Individuals,” or “TIs” — who believe they are being harassed, controlled and surveilled via implanted devices (“voice-to-skull technology”), zapped with microwaves or otherwise “gangstalked” by an evil conspiracy of as-yet-unidentified thems. “They” are almost certainly governmental in nature, because, the reasoning goes, why else would the government allow this to happen?"

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...This is the first play of hers I’ve seen, and it’s a remarkably assured and empathetic piece that knows when to draw humor from the absurdity of the TI claims, and when to prod the deeper voids and losses that help those claims burrow in under their psyches in the first place."

Around The Town Chicago - Recommended

"...As Red Orchid Theatre concludes its 33rd season, it does so with a fascinating and unsettling world premiere, The Targeted, written by the acclaimed playwright Hanna Kime and directed by Chicago-based director Grace Dolezal-Ng. Presented at the historic Chopin Theatre, this production delivers a tense psychological thriller that feels like stepping directly into the ultimate conspiracy theorist’s nightmare."

Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended

"...THE TARGETED is a play for the theatergoer who enjoys a drama filled with tension and dark humor. It’s for audiences who like a story that borders on being a thriller, while making them think and reconsider the comfort of their status quo. Don’t expect stock answers to the questions posed in this play. Whether these feelings of being misunderstood and persecuted are valid, is up to each audience member."

Buzz Center Stage - Highly Recommended

"...Hanna Kime’s new play The Targeted makes its world premiere at A Red Orchid Theatre. In it, she empathetically explores the lives of these folks and what draws them to their beliefs. Though it is at times humorous, Kime’s play is not exploitative. Rather, she builds an entire ecosystem for not only those affected by this kind of thinking, but the ways in which others profit from it. "

The Fourth Walsh - Recommended

"...Rhonda carries a kit to extract microchips. Didi wears a specially-made cloaking device. Eric stuffs his hat with foil. They are each in physical, mental and emotional pain. They are Targeted Individuals (TI) being harassed and tortured by the government. And the worst part, their families and friends can’t comprehend their suffering. They have gathered with fellow believers at the Solidarity and Truth Summit. Eric’s sister is attending the weekend conference too. She is trying to understand. Her search for answers leads to a lot more questions."

PicksInSix - Highly Recommended

"...Well, it's both comic and intense. Profane and highly satirical in tone and in presentation. “The Targeted,” Hanna Kime's world premiere receiving a bang-bang production through the auspices of A Red Orchid Theatre at the Chopin Theatre, spares no quarter in its group of quite radical, disparate people and viewpoints. Director Grace Dolezal-Ng gives it all an almost improvisational feel in many of the exchanges between characters. She also makes it easy to follow in the frenetic pace of the writing, recognizing Ms. Kime's highly emotional back-and-forth in compartmentalized staging with three definitive areas of the camp, the lodge, whatever it seems to be."

BroadwayWorld - Highly Recommended

"...A Red Orchid Theatre concludes their 33rd Season with the world premiere of THE TARGETED at the Chopin Theatre. Playwright Hanna Kime first started writing the play in 2019, at a moment when political tension and distrust started to escalate. What is brought to the stage is a dramatic comedy that challenges the love we give to others even if their actions do not align with one another’s morals."