Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...In the first hour or so, the show has remarkable passion and focus. David P. Gordon's triangular design tightly focuses attention. The language is clear and the convoluted plot feels fresh and freed by Tresnjak's edits. It's like watching a combination of magic realism and Chaucerian whimsy and it all works delightfully, because the attention is firmly on telling the story."
SouthtownStar
- Highly Recommended
"...This work may or may not be totally Shakespeare's, but "The Two Noble Kinsmen" interweaves comedy and tragedy and human emotions with such keen understanding and fast-paced style that one can't help but be enthralled by it."
Pioneer Press
- Highly Recommended
"...This seldom-produced Shakespeare collaboration (with far less famous fellow playwright Jonathan Fletcher) might not be so rare if audiences could be assured they would always get a production to rival the one currently at Navy Pier. The play certainly benefits from the fine honing of director Darko Tresnjak, an outstanding Chicago cast, David P. Gordon's spare but highly creative set design, and Linda Cho's fascinating costumes."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Superbly and erotically retold by Hungarian-born director Darko Tresnjak, this production features captivating performances by a comely and dedicated cast headed by Lucas Hall and Lea Coco as the ardent cavaliers. But the big draw here is visual--the astonishing stage pictures, whether of gods or mortals."
Windy City Times
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The Two Noble Kinsman comes to life and holds the stage, but only as refashioned by Tresnjak, who makes the play greater than the sum of its parts, even if not entirely true to the original."
Time Out Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...this text, threaded with more narrative verse than most in the canon, and drawn with considerably smaller scope, is no bigger than the small studio staging it gets here. And when such intimacy is summoned merely for us to see the play under a microscope, the theater ends up feeling like a classroom."
ChicagoCritic
- Recommended
"...Director Tresnjak has all the beautiful people speaking with a fine clarity, directing the wit, humor and irony of the play deliciously. Lea Coco’s Arcite and Lucas Hall’s Palamon capture us into their plight while Chaon Cross’ Emilia and Grant Goodman’s King Thesus deliver the intensity needed."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Recommended
"...Director Tresnjak's uncluttered but visually striking presentation is classic and classy. He incorporates masks, a dazzling fight scene (masterfully choreographed by Robin H. McFarquhar) and enough invention to make the occasionally plodding plot and text slightly more digestible. No one will mistake "The Two Noble Kinsmen" for "Hamlet" or "King Lear" (both enjoying major Chicago productions), but for an unusual and exquisitely produced rarity, get thee to Navy Pier."
