Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...Green shows incredible skill as he smoothly transitions McDowall's character study from (space) kitchen-sink drama straight into the horror genre (blood splatters included, be warned) and then into an absurd realm with repeated, circular dialogue reminiscent of something from the mind of Samuel Beckett. (Could the shuttle be McDowall's Godot?)"
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...The cast do their best to maintain British accents, which often drift into Aussie or midwestern. A trigger warning alerts audiences of blood, violence, and self-harm, yet an intensely long stroboscopic scene near the end (which I found mesmerizing) went irresponsibly unmentioned, sending one audience member out of the theater overwhelmed. X ends with an unaffecting, ambiguous scene, but overall provides an engaging, if dire, depiction of humanity in extremis."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...The unswerving conviction of an ensemble firmly grounded in their immediate environment—featuring such charismatic storefront-circuit favorites as Sarah Price, Gage Wallace and the always-engrossing H.B. Ward—provide an anchor for audiences succumbing to vertigo induced by the array of metaphors evidenced in McDowall's universe. What analogy we are to apply to its riddles, though ( curbside post-show opinions were divided between climate change, imperialistic colonization and geriatric psycho-erosion ) is up to each individual theatergoer."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...Alistair McDowall’s 2016 drama has all the earmarks of a haunted house horror story. People see things and hear sounds and voices that go bump in the night. Essentially, this is a psychological drama, like The Turn of the Screw, in which the characters are pitted against their own demons, as well as what haunts the others around them. Similar to Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None,” the five characters are trapped together and, one-by-one, as the tension builds, each of them meets his demise. In addition, the playwright offers a frightening, dystopian tale that predicts the end of the world. Like this crew of helpless astronauts, theatergoers will find themselves powerless, unprotected and lost in space."
Third Coast Review - Recommended
"...Sideshow Theatre’s X is a compelling play with excellent performances by the five crew members—and an extra character, identified as Voice (aka Young Mattie), played by Natalie Ortega. .H.B. Ward portrays a realistically glum Ray and both Sarah Price and Kristen Ortiz are dedicated and believable. There are times when not much is happening on stage balanced by times of surprising action, but director Green sets a pace that keeps the talky scenes exciting. Although it’s sometimes puzzling (especially at the end), your attention will be rewarded."
Storefront Rebellion - Highly Recommended
"...The crew of a research outpost on the surface of Pluto has lost contact with Earth. It's been weeks since their last communique. Or maybe months? Maybe both. Alistair McDowell's deeply unsettling sci-fi thriller keeps us on our toes with what first seems to be nonlinear scene ordering, but it turns out that the station itself has lost track of time. No one can tell how long the clocks have been glitching, and with no connection to Earth's cycles, the crew starts to lose all sense of duration. And that's before you even consider the question of the creepy space ghost."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...This is one of those plays that require a lot of post-show processing, as it raises all sorts of issues to discuss. Bring someone along to share thoughts with over a drink; you won’t run out of conversation."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...Those who find blood and gore to be off-putting may wish to proceed with caution but this show is Highly Recommended for fans of science fiction and - in particular - drama with as much on its mind as it has in its heart."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The show disintegrates your ideas of perceptible time (the clock is engrossingly uncertain) and reminds you that our minds and forms are fragile, set in gelatinous paste. And it does so in this stylish stew pot of anxiety and silence, served by a great cast. Two hours felt like all of two hours and yet so enjoyable."
