Topdog/Underdog presented by The Gift Theatre at Filament Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...I think the trap in the play is that of cynical acceptance; it's not always obvious but Parks' brothers are all-American fighters, through and through, even when it may seem otherwise. Lesser talents would be down for the count. In the end, you have to leave the theater with a fuller understanding that America is all the worse for how brutally it has limited their aspirations. You do indeed feel some of that here, for these all are skilled and talented artists working on an intimate setting from Jessica Kuehnau Wardell, but not fully at the level that this remarkable script can achieve."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended

"...It's not an easy play to digest, but it is a masterful one, and the heavy themes are laced with laugh-out-loud moments throughout. In the long-held tradition of Chicago storefront theater, the production is top notch, no faults to be found except one's own in how willing you are to take it in and bear witness."

Around The Town Chicago - Recommended

"...The Gift Theatre presents TOPDOG/UNDERDOG, a play written by Suzan-Lori Parks, and won a Tony for best revival in 2023. The play is directed by Shanesia Davis, who has graced the stages of many theatres in Chicago, including Steppenwolf, Northlight, Porchlight, and The Goodman. She really presented to the audience a bond between brothers, one in which anger can break and then brothers can reunite. This 2hour and 30-minute play with a 15-minute intermission, at first, is hard to figure out; it takes some time to understand, but then you see the irony and understand it's about two brothers"