Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...But Loo never shows us enough of the inner life of these kids for some of the shifts in character to fully make sense. Maybe that's the point he's trying to make: we never know what kids are going through, or when one might "snap" under the weight of being asked to deal with adult situations beyond their years. However, here the changes in persona seem almost arbitrary, with scenes included as a way to check boxes on a list of challenges facing the students, ranging from free-floating teen insecurity (embodied best by Sophia Vitello's mousy Lenore) to a neglectful stepdad who keeps a handgun within too-easy reach. Academic powerhouse Selma, played with pinpoint intensity by Zhanna Albertini, finds her surface confidence dropping every time she's in the presence of both her stepdad and the security guru, until she somehow finds a dark energy of her own."
Around The Town Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...One of the best aspects of the show is the play within a play where the tragedy of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting is relived. Another great part is watching how each of the five students responds very differently to the self-defense training in accordance with their backgrounds and their personalities; clearly, this is a major thrust of the show. In conjunction with this, I liked the various subplots where we get some insight into each of the students' personal lives and family situations, but not all of this is necessary. While the back stories personalize the students, the focus on too many aspects of their private lives detracts from the main point of the performance."
Chicago Theatre Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...Eric Reyes Loo has written a play that provokes many ideas but just isn't satisfying as a theatrical event. It feels uneven, what with its continually shifting scenes. Doing the best he can with this script, it's directed by the talented and experienced Toma Tavares Langston. The drama questions whether, if a school shooting takes place, is it better for students to simply duck and cover or to take action and defend themselves? That's a controversial query, to say the least, and it provides much food for thought and a topic for long discussions. The drama in this story is terrifying and tragedy is expected, but that makes the humor feel strangely inappropriate. The audience instinctively knows that there's bound to be more tragedy to come and we're continually on our guard with every laugh. Because, as Chekov wrote, if a gun is seen in the beginning of a play, then it eventually must be fired. That gunfire is only a matter of time."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...Zhanna Albertini gives an award-worthy performance as Selma, the overachieving Asian girl who must get into an Ivy League school. Her mother tries to be supportive and her stepfather barely acknowledges her achievements or her fears. Sophia Vitello wins hearts as Lenore, an aspiring actress who is so introverted that no one believes that she would ever get any parts."
Chicago On Stage - Somewhat Recommended
"...Langston and the cast do their best with a script full of choppy, too-short scenes, some of which seem to take literally only a couple of minutes to play, and totally unearned character changes. There are some nice moments-bonding between two extremely unlike students, for example-but there are also violent actions that go far beyond realistic or necessary. This new play has some promise, and it takes on a target I've never seen addressed, but it definitely still needs work."
NewCity Chicago - Not Recommended
"...Ultimately, too much time is given over to simulation of simulation. The first act closes on the play's most powerful moment, a play-within-a-play about the Sandy Hook shooting, but the second-act drill "in the dark," is too long. It's the kind of thing that works on film, with its precise lighting and tight closeups providing the opportunity to accentuate drama and fear, but it just drags unrealistically on stage, like a long study hall."
