Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Part of the problem was that the generally older audience in Glencoe just didn't seem to be in tune with the broad strokes of the piece; by the time you reach middle age, concerns over identity tend to be replaced by concerns with mortality and loss, and with the search for meaning and explanations of the universal human condition. By then, you've come to see that familial pressure to achieve, which is a huge part of the comedic action here, is ultimately trumped by the need for good health and firm friendships. And, of course, the specificity of the intergenerational comedy is aimed at Asian Americans, of whom there were precious few present."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...Lew’s somewhat shaggy script is inspired by these kinds of model-minority inconsistencies. As the play’s title suggests, “Tiger Style!” owes some credit to Amy Chua, the legal scholar and author who popularized the concept of the “tiger mom” a little over a decade ago."
Daily Herald - Somewhat Recommended
"...Directed by Brian Balcom, Writers Theatre's Chicago-area premiere is a funny, nicely frenetic production with Rammel Chan and Deanna Myers, who play multiple roles, delivering especially droll performances. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. Some of the acting is shrill, manic even, with some actors starting at 11 and then having nowhere to go. It's exhausting, and Writer's production suffers because of it."
Chicago Reader - Not Recommended
"...The trouble with Tiger Style! (directed for Writers by Brian Balcom) is that it not only illustrates racial self-hatred and its roots in white supremacy, it performs such hatred upon its characters, who are cartoonish, unlikeable, and ultimately act the part of stooges to their own oppression. Albert and Jennifer embody stereotypes of the model minority and abhor themselves for it (“ . . . the Chinese American Ivy Leaguer who went into medicine—you’re the vanilla ice cream of Asians,” scoffs Albert of Jennifer)."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Recommended
"...Tiger Style is an absurd dramatic comedy that pokes at America's bias and communism in China and how it affects emigrants searching to live the American dream; it is something that most immigrants can relate to. But, unfortunately, its humorous satire goes overboard, and Lew's script somewhat obscures the audience, with some laughing and others perplexed about the play's intent. Moreover, Lew seems to be striving arduously to engage with a Western audience that he loses out on the principal message of Tiger Style, acceptance."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The Immigrant experience! We hear about this on a fairly regular basis, but for most of us, living the actual experience is not something that we truly know. It is what we have been told by our parents and grandparents. The news has stories about those that are coming here from Mexico and of late, the numbers that have come from the Ukraine. Playwright Mike Lew’s fun-filled comedy “Tiger Style!” takes a look at the Chinese American heritage."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...This is one of those plays that might sound didactic and less than interesting on paper, but it will astonish you, surpassing all expectations with its high energy, broad comedy and thoughtful ideas about a whole variety of issues. Mike Lew’s latest offering, playfully and skillfully guided by gifted director Brian Balcom, and brought to life by an incredibly versatile and talented cast of actors, is an absolute must-see comic production. It will reward adult audiences with a spirited story, filled with surprises, new understandings and raucous, comic characters and situations that will leave their stomachs hurting from laughter."
Chicago On Stage - Recommended
"...I'm not sure that Tiger Style is a great satire, though it certainly is a very funny one. In covering so much narrative territory, it gets lost a few times and in others it finds itself too often going for silliness for the sake of silliness as it systematically blows up all of the stereotypes attached to these characters. Still, as Albert's ultimate assertion of self makes clear, each of us must decide who we are and who we are not. It's all we have."
Evanston Roundtable - Highly Recommended
"...Tiger Style! Invites us to think about the serious efforts to discover who we are and where we belong by way of laughter. It's a delightful way to spend an evening."
