Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...For all of its relentlessness, “Thirst” is a very ambitious and interesting piece of writing; if you don’t know Johnson’s name, there is an argument made here that you surely will, hopefully in a near future preferable to the one she here imagines."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...As-Salaam is an amazing talent. Director Andrea J. Dymond's cast is strong top to bottom, although only one of them seemed especially concerned with portraying his character as a southerner. I have admired Johnard Washington's acting before, but I was utterly delighted by his performance as Bankhead, Terrance's reasonable right hand. Washington brings so much style to this role, so much calm authority, that you often don't know whether this incredible knowingness about people is his or the character's. I wanted to sit there and listen to him dress down everybody's flimsy self-justifications all night. Bankhead alone, the wise comedian and friend, seems to blame the war for everyone's grief—while they go on blaming each other."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...This is a 90 minute play with some very tense moments. There are gun shots, a murder, a great fight (Sam Hubbard is a solid fight choreographer) and talk of death and memories. We see how war can alter the path in one's life and in this case a direction that brings a period of great happiness along with some fear but in spite of all we see, there is a happy ending for Samira and Kalil. Other cast members are Johnard Washington, Tamarus Harvell and Gregory J. Fields."
Chicago Theatre Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...Since the 2016 election, dystopian dramas have become more popular than ever. One only needs to observe such classics of the genre, such as A Clockwork Orange, The Giver, The Hunger Games and The Handmaid's Tale, as evidence. Many Americans fear thedirection this administration is steering our country and these horrific tales seem to be more realistic than ever. We harken back to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and George Orwell's classic, 1984, to find the impetus for stories about a government that's overstepped its boundaries. C.A. Johnson's one-act offers some of the gravity and tenderness found in Orwell's novel, and it gives audiences much to think about. The play has no real heroes, although the little family in the forest offers some hope. Young Kalil's calm insightfulness and acceptance of the tragedies around him anchors this production. The thirst in this play not only refers to water but for a return to civilization and humanity. However, as it now plays, there's just not enough dramatic tension to fully hold a theatergoer's interest for over an hour-and-a-half."
Chicago On Stage - Recommended
"...This play is a fascinating hybrid: violence and racial divisions are always at its forefront, but its soul lies in love and family relationships. Though the literal aspect of the title and the water shortage is a bit of a MacGuffin—no one here is even close to dying of thirst—these characters all thirst for the kind of bonds that war has torn asunder, the kind that are hard to make and harder to preserve. It is, as Strawdog Artistic Director Leda Hoffmann says, “both intimate and epic” in its scope, and this production makes both aspects work beautifully. It is a very personal examination of the costs of war and hatred, and it will stay with you."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...If you like scripts that jostle these types of thoughts, THIRST might be a top pick for your time. In this writer’s view, the production overall, despite a few top-notch performances such as Fields’, doesn’t add much to the script per se. Perhaps opening night jitters were more at work, and time will smooth out the performances as the run continues."
NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"..."Thirst" presents an allegory relevant to our time with dialogue and human foibles that look familiar to anyone who has lived a minute in our country. The moral of the work-which seems to have more to do with gender than race but could just as easily have been told without the ornaments of either-is something like: presented with unthinkable loss, we have the options to love, unite and create or hate, divide and destroy."
