Trans Form Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...There is plenty of useful information packed in Kling's show (presented by New Suit Theatre Company), among them the potent fact that transitioning works better if the process begins in adolescence — when few teenagers have the emotional or financial wherewithal (or family support) to access hormone therapy. But in Kristin Idaszak and Kate McGroarty's staging, the material fits together awkwardly, with uninspired movement interludes failing to tie it together. Beguiling true-life tales of unexpected difficulties, such as Kling's attempts to get her new gender reflected on her driver's license, add piquant details. But segments where Kling goes into faux-lecturer mode on gender terminology, or when she addresses an unseen friend about the dos and don'ts of talking about transitioning, feel generic and rote. Kling has an engaging presence, and if she can focus more on the personal side of her journey, "Trans Form" could, well, transform into something truly special."

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Directed by Kristin Idaszak and Kate McGroarty (whose contribution is a little mysterious, seeing as how she won the Museum of Science and Industry’s Month at the Museum competition and has been living there 24/7 since October 20), this New Suit Theatre Company production desperately needs an injection of oomph."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"... There’s ample pop cultural discourse on promiscuous “trannies” (Kling’s word) and damaged souls caught in the wrong body (see Oprah), but Kling doesn’t want to tell these stories. Happily, she neither sells these narratives out nor denies them as she (innovatively) rewrites trans life as mundane."

Chicago Theater Beat - Somewhat Recommended

"...Likewise, this show still needs further development to sustain even theatricality in the telling of Kling’s story. Some moments are very effective—as when she demonstrates the unremitting requirement of daily hormone therapy. But other sections still require greater physicalization and translation into visual metaphor. Kling has enough emotional distance from her material to observe it with wry and reflective eye. That makes her point of view necessary on a subject that could easily degenerate into maudlin self-absorption. But the artist also needs to lay bare the heart with clarity and precision. An audience may be better informed about transgender experience at the end of Trans Form, but hitting all the emotional bull’s-eyes of transitioning will force them to feel it."