Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...The Chicago premiere of Chris Woodley’s British farce “Tommy on Top” at the Pride Arts Center feels more like “Tommy in the Middle.” Is it a romantic comedy masquerading as a farce or a farce that has been toned down to make it more palatable to an America audience?"
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...In spite of the silliness that the group concocts to protect Tommy, the stark realities of what it means to be gay in Hollywood are never lost on the characters or the audience. Director Jay Españo successfully blends the show’s slapstick comedy and of-the-moment references with the hard truths that Tommy’s predicament reveals about the biases that persist in environments that claim to have progressed past them."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...Chris Woodley's "Tommy on Top" is a tale of two plays, one overlaying the other. The primary story has to do with Tommy (Ryan Cason), who is a talented Hollywood actor who can pass as straight when, in fact, he's gay. Because he keeps his sexual orientation hidden from the public, he struggles with inner conflict. In this show, Tommy lets his frustrations out by getting drunk and sometimes disorderly among the people he's closest to. They include his loving partner George (Patrick Gosney), his supportive but largely inebriated sister Molly (Theresa Liebhart), and his gay theatrical agent Eddie (Brian Boler)."
Chicago Theatre Review - Not Recommended
"...I don't like giving bad reviews. I know how much work and energy go into a show and how vulnerable it makes the people who put in that work. I always try to respect that. I flatter myself that I am not in the class of reviewer who enjoys writing pans to make themselves feel smarter than everyone else who may have liked something. I always try to meet a show where it is and judge it not just for how I viewed it, but also through the lens of its intended audience. Even if something isn't for me, it's often for someone, and to me, a well written review looks for that. This is the long way of saying I can usually find something to hang my hat on to recommend a show to someone for some reason. Unfortunately, I cannot do that for PrideArts' latest production, the Chicago premier of Tommy on Top, a farce by British playwright Chris Woodley. The story centers on hunky, young, and closeted actor Tommy Miller, on the cusp of winning an Oscar, having to deal with the possibility of being outed and the impact that will have on his career."
Buzznews.net - Somewhat Recommended
"...BUT WAIT: as I said, I’m not a fan of British humor, and farce is not my favorite genre. If, however, you happen to like preposterous premises, cumbersome one-liners, outrageous over-acting and senseless physical brawling, Tommy on Top is for you. If you still giggle at the 3 Stooges, this show will make you LOL."
Third Coast Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...I am a big fan of British comedy and in particular, one master of the genre—John Cleese in Fawlty Towers. That show is an example of farce, done brilliantly. Basil Fawlty is an improbable character trying to run an upscale inn. Basil is always scheming to get the big score and he is surrounded by crazy employees, kooky permanent residents, a very lost Spanish butler/server and his wife, who is always cleaning up his mess. Tommy on Top at at thePride Arts Center is the work of British playwright Chris Woodley, who has written for a popular U.K. series East Enders. Woodley has given Tommy on Top all of the ingredients of classic farce. There are improbable characters, dramatic entries and exits, crude jokes, bodily noises, and copious amounts of bodily fluids—not the good kind. This production—directed by Jay Españo—takes a long time to get up to pace and then wobbles trying to keep that breakneck pace."
Chicago On Stage - Not Recommended
"...It isn’t often that I can’t find anything good to say about a show. I enjoy theatre in general—I wouldn’t do this otherwise—and most shows have enough positive qualities to mitigate any negative ones. Sadly, this is not the case for the total mess that is PrideArts’ staging of Chris Woodley’s gay farce, “Tommy On Top.” From Woodley’s script (with its weirdly outdated ideas about coming out, its many flat jokes—Woodley can’t even make hay with a gay Trump-supporter character in Hollywood—and way, way too much going on that just plain makes no sense), to a way-too-presentational blocking pattern, to weird props, to staging decisions that can’t decide if this is a farce or a meta-farce, to everyone just trying way too hard to make us laugh, this one doesn’t work on any level."
TotalTheater - Recommended
"...Fortunately, the cast assembled by director Jay Españo is well-drilled in the "something right NOW" techniques of Chicago-style improv and are able to sustain momentum of their overloaded text for most of the 90+ minutes before it deviates from classical protocol to conclude with almost everyone happier and wiser for their realization that—as new-age celebrity blogger Kiki Lopez declares—owning your truth is the best course of action."
