Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...The light but strikingly resonant conceit here is that the performers — the cast is made up of the uniformly excellent Danielle Brothers, Stephanie Herman, Christopher Logan, Khaki Pixley and Andrew Sickel — are all playing characters to be found in Grand Central Station, circa the 1940s and 1950s. That setting proves ideal for this material — so many of Styne's greatest songs feature characters in motion ("I Don't Want to Walk Without You, Baby,") or somehow negotiating their relationship with the rest of the world. Think about a Bob Merrill lyric like "people who need people are the luckiest people in the world" and ponder how the singer, or you, really feel about all that. You will ponder it when you hear it here."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...In “Time After Time,” directed by David Heimann, the term “cabaret” is the operative word. The innovative arrangements of outstanding pianist and musical director Aaron Benham clearly have been designed to make audiences think about familiar songs in new ways, while less familiar ones are given neatly theatrical renderings. That indelible Barbra Streisand hit, “People,” for example, is now performed as a richly harmonic a cappella work for the distinctive cast of five (Danielle Brothers, Stephanie Herman, Christopher Logan, Khaki Pixley and Andrew Sickel), subtly underscoring the power of vocal camaraderie."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...On Ubique's snug stage, director David Heimann is often able to translate golden-age Broadway grandeur into something more personal and introspective. A full-company a cappella rendition of the Funny Girl standard "People" gave me chills. The show is also an outlet for first-class star power; a 1940s-style blonde bombshell, Stephanie Herman turns merely suggestive tunes like "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" into pure sex."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...Theo Ubique didn't anticipate extending its Jeff-winning production of Light in the Piazza to run in repertory with this world premiere—but since the architecture of the Italian Renaissance is not unlike that of American 19th-century Greek Revival, the nightly switch from a Florentine palazzo to Grand Central Station (except for the climbing flowers) is an easy one. Once located in an environment where everybody is either coming or going, we are freed to enjoy such fantasy scenarios as a homeless waif suffering from insomnia who dances with a chorus of lambs as she carols "10,572 Sheep," or a jilted gun-toting sweetheart's rendition of "If You Hadn't (But You Did)" as she engages her faithless lover's corpse in some Weekend at Bernie's gymnastics."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...Take a brilliant, prolific composer whose work formed the soundtrack for the ’40’s and ’50’s. Add a terrific artistic production team. Mix in five likably talented young singers. You now have the formula for the vivacious, heartfelt musical revue, guaranteed to touch the heart and caress the soul, that plays in rep with Theo Ubique's Jeff Award-winning “Light in the Piazza.” It’s another jewel of a show audiences won’t want to miss."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...The cast of terrific singers is anchored by the fabulous Danielle Brothers – a ‘belter’ with the exquisite ability to both enunciate lyrics and to ‘sell’ the song’s meaning and emotions expertly. She is a marvel to watch on stage. Cabaret was made for Brothers. From “People” to “Don’t Rain on My Parade” to “Hey Look, No Crying,” we hear Brothers nail the nuance of each tune."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...The latest labor of love from Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, this charmer, with musical direction and arrangements by Aaron Benham, runs through July at Rogers Park’s No Exit Café (in repertory with the continuing “Light in the Piazza” whose set it shares). Its five young but seasoned performers run the Styne gamut (from 1942 to 1974), treating the standards to medley mention (with the excuse that “I’ve Heard that Song Before”) but taking their time to deliver an obscurity like the insomnia ballad “10,432 Sheep” from the forgotten 1950 film “West Point Story,” complete with cast members wearing sheep masks."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...Director David Heimann, uses the stage area to its best advatage, understanding the limits placed on him by having the beautiful “Piazza” set to work around. Emily Rogers does the choreography for this enchanting evening of music, once again, limited by the ste in place, but she achieves the mood an dthe feeling of each of the musical numbers. At the keyboard, Aaron Benham who also did the arrangements to blend the music with the story-telling which is why Theoubique shines at “Cabaret” performance."
