Warped presented by Stage Left Theatre at Theater Wit

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"..."Truth can be strange," one of the characters observes toward the end. Sure. But dramatic truth has to provide enough nuts-and-bolts plausibility that we buy into the shifts. That doesn't happen here, and "Warped" feels misshapen as a result."

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Playwright Barbara Lhota refracts the incident, based on a recent Chicago case, through a Rashomon-like lens as the victim and the officers all recount widely divergent versions to two hard-nosed female detectives. Lhota's schematic script consistently strains credulity, and her dialogue mostly parrots the characters' transparent agendas instead of revealing deeper psychological truths. Director Jason A. Fleece expertly shepherds his cast through a series of ever-shifting locations, but ultimately Lhota seems more interested in understanding what happened than why it matters."

Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...Mikula, Pracht and Black-Spence do nice jobs modulating their characterizations based on whose perspective we’re seeing them from, but one begins to wonder what Lhota’s own perspective is. Her approach feels tonally confused, particularly in those moments when she and director Jason A. Fleece seem to be playing for laughs—or perhaps the opening night audience just found the subject matter more hilarious than I did."

ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended

"...As Warped presents  its events, we beg for more and act two delivers nicely. The resolution will send you home debating who did what to whom. The experience is memorable. Warped is a classic example of the power of a live performance to coat the truth into personal gestures and expressions that take the truth to a new level. Experience the wonders of a fine mystery."

Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended

"...Who is right? Who is wrong? Or is the truth, slippery and elusive as it can be, bundled somewhere between all the interlocking narratives? This is a play that could have gone wrong in so many ways, but it’s a testament to the actors, to playwright Barbara Lhota, and to director Jason A. Fleece that we are treated to an experience that is not only challenging and absorbing, but fluid, precise, and occasionally profound."