Theater of the Mind Reviews

Chicago Sun Times - Recommended

"...Enter “Theater of the Mind.” Located in the Reid Murdoch Building in the Loop, and running through July 12, this show exists somewhere in the margins of creepy festival funhouse meets cool high school science experiment. It’s trippy. It’s unique. And somewhere buried in the cool head tricks there is a story about revisiting the pivotal moments of our lives and questioning if we can trust our own recollections."

Daily Herald - Highly Recommended

"...The 75-minute immersive installation by the ever-curious, multidisciplinary artist David Byrne, writer Mala Gaonkar and director Andrew Scoville, in collaboration with the Goodman Theatre, is disorienting, compelling and ultimately deeply comforting"

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...From a purely technical standpoint, it’s quite a feat, and we would be remiss if we didn’t shout out in particular the stage management and production teams (as well as the front-of-house staff) who keep it all moving smoothly so the various groups never trip over each other on their journey through the mind. Credit of course also to director Andrew Scoville and technology director Heidi Boisvert. And the “Davids” who serve as our guides represent some of the best that Chicago theater has to offer."

Stage and Cinema - Recommended

"...Theater of the Mind at its core wants us to think of life in non-binary terms; things can be right or wrong, yes, but they can also exist on a continuum, with a point on that continuum where either side can be correct, depending on your perspective."

Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Recommended

"...Theater of the Mind is a refreshing change of pace to the hectic life we live. It's 75 minutes of reflections that brings to mind the iconic, long-running slogan for the UNCF (United Negro College Fund), created in 1972, that "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." Before leaving downtown and heading home after a long day of work, make sure to take a moment to visit the colorful 333 North LaSalle Street building, where you can unwind and escape into a world of creative, immersive Theater Of The Mind."

The Fourth Walsh - Recommended

"...THEATER OF THE MIND plays mind games. You and 15 guests will spend 75 minutes walking through a series of rooms designed for sensory overload. A guide named David* leads the way to his past. Each person has been given a new name and persona. They are linked to David casually or profoundly. The level is revealed through the storytelling as you learn more about David’s life."

Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended

"...Ever wanted to attend your own funeral? Ever wondered if your memories are real or imagined? Ever desired to get inside the big brain of big-suited Talking Heads frontman David Byrne? Now’s your chance via Goodman Theatre’s site-specific walking flashback called Theater of the Mind, created by Academy, Grammy and Tony Award-winning Byrne and writer Mala Gaonkar, who brings the neuroscience research. Andrew Scoville directs with the help of Amanda Berg Wilson and Betty Hart."

Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended

"...The mind of David Byrne has descended on a historic warehouse building in River North, where audiences encounter memoir made into theatre, memory into experience, and sensorial phenomena into story. Theater of the Mind is a collection of Byrne’s memories set into a multifaceted journey that questions his recollection of events and people from his past by exploring the trustworthiness of our own perception."

PicksInSix - Highly Recommended

"...David Byrne is simultaneously everywhere and nowhere at the Reid Murdoch Building on 333 N. Lasalle, where his and co-creator Mala Gaonkar’s immersive production “Theater of the Mind” has built a 15,000 sq ft home. Presented by the Goodman Theatre and running now through July 12, leave your preconceived notions of reality at home for a mind-bending 75 minutes of scientific-artistry or artistic-science experiment, I’m not exactly sure which. But that feels to be precisely the point."

Curtain Call Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...This show is not a traditional play; it’s more of an intimate and guided trip through someone’s life (whose name happens to be David) but really the mission is to get us to focus on our own perceptions. It’s an experience that takes the audience through a series of rooms with David as the guide, relating the story of a life, but in reverse, as the story begins in David’s later years and moves backwards to childhood. In this way, the audience is both spectator and subject (each audience member given a character name who played some role in our guide’s life; the fun thing to do is play along as that character)."

BroadwayWorld - Highly Recommended

"...If you enjoy magic shows or interactive experiences and are looking for a fun, unique, and not-too-serious activity, THEATER OF THE MIND has plenty of wonders to discover."

NewCity Chicago - Recommended

"...But overall, I found the show a joyful exploration of how we think about life, and how we can always change the story, if we want."