What to Send Up When It Goes Down Reviews

Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended

"...With poetic monologues, breathtaking songs and several calls and responses, the production draws attention to pervasive violence against Black bodies in America. Directed by Daniel Bryant and Ericka Ratcliff, the show is meant for Black people, "though all are welcome." Through a phenomenal all-Black cast, that promise is kept."

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...Some of the more trenchant scenes in the show reveal uncomfortable parallels between the attitudes of old-school White racists and those of white people who consider themselves more enlightened, but who in our own ways, consciously or not, play a role in (or at least benefit from) a racist system. And for that reason I found the show bracing, enlightening, and well worth experiencing. (Even though it was not written for me.)"

Buzz Center Stage - Recommended

"...Together, this team - production and cast - create an awesome and enduring experience. Six days later, I'm still having regular moments of recollection and new insight; I predict these perceptions and inspirations will continue for some time."

Third Coast Review - Recommended

"...I wish that I could say that What to Send Up When It Goes Down was a flashback to earlier days of Black theater companies like eta Creative Arts Foundation and Kuumba in Chicago. This new play, written by Aleshea Harris, is a brilliant rage against violence against Black people in contemporary society. It is not a flashback. The violence, degradation, and economic strangulation of Black people is the same now as it was post-Civil War even after protests, outrage, and a Black American president. What to Send Up When It Goes Down is a visceral cry for everyone to listen and pay attention to why these atrocities continue and why it is important for Black people to drive the narrative of rage and how we can heal. The play is co-directed by Ericka Ratcliff and Daniel Bryant."

Splash Magazine - Somewhat Recommended

"...This production was heavy Laden and will definitely incite dialogue. My guest and I felt that excusing the non-African American audience members took away from what we believed was the purpose behind the performance. We agreed that it would have been more effective to invite them to stay and listen to what was said, to educate them and help those receptive to understand certain aspects of our lives and the daily challenges we face. Perhaps, if invited to stay, they would have gotten a better understanding, which may have changed their thoughts and perceptions."

NewCity Chicago - Recommended

"...If the show is not aimed at white audiences, it scores some direct hits, nonetheless, when the cast takes on white archetypes-such as a Southern lady with a chauffeur-or Black archetypes, such as the obsequious servant or angry Black man, intentionally ironic types modeled on non-Blacks' stereotypes of Blacks. The show may be about healing, but it scrapes wounds first."