Macbeth presented by Greasy Joan & Co. at Athenaeum Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...Julieanne Ehre delivers a bloody good take on Shakespeare's fastest tragedy for Greasy Joan and Company. Kevin Depinet's sterile surgical-theater setting makes an appropriately chilly environment for this tale of the pitiless consequences of unchecked ambition."

SouthtownStar - Not Recommended

"...An exciting play sometimes can turn into a tepid, tedious work when a director tries to shape a Shakespearean tragedy into something it is not. That's pretty much what happens in Greasy Joan's production."

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Director Julieanne Ehre fully embraces the play's supernatural aspect. Scenic designer Kevin Depinet's stark white set is a perfect canvas for lighting designer Charles Cooper's eerie colors and ghostly shadows, and sound designer Andrew Hansen's otherworldly aural effects intensify the play's dark magic. The 13-member ensemble isn't always up to Shakespeare's language--Sharina Martin is particularly disappointing as Lady Macbeth--but Dana Wall's Macbeth and Kevin Cox's Macduff convey the power and pathos of Shakespeare's poetry during their furious climactic battle."

Windy City Times - Recommended

"...The craftsmanship reflected in these performances do much to redeem the hazards associated with low-budget Shakespeare—chiefly, the necessary multiple-casting that often blurs the identities of the uniformly-youthful onstage personnel—as well as the conceptual gimmicks that young artists find so irresistible: Banquo's ghost done up in zombie makeup, for example, or Hecate's frequently excised cameo retained for no discernible reason beyond an opportunity for a male actor to do a drag turn. Innovations faring somewhat better are Kevin Asselin's thrilling final duel, with the combatants employing Filipino “flow-fighting” technique, and Andrew Hansen's score of ghostly whispers and slamming gates."

Chicago Free Press - Somewhat Recommended

"...Reversing expectations implied by the pitch-black activities occurring in Shakespeare’s well-paced “Macbeth,” Greasy Joan and Co.’s current production of “the Scottish play” takes place in a brightly lit corridor reminiscent of a hospital or asylum setting. While this always-inventive company does indeed manage to shine some new light upon this classic work, its overall tone is ultimately disturbed by a lack of cohesiveness among its talented performers."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...Ehre has packed it with capable, watchable and youngish cast members—though their mastery of the play’s language doesn’t belie their years—who take full advantage of the play’s textured supporting characters. Banquo, Macduff, Ross, Malcolm, even young Fleance command as much attention as delirious Lady M scrubbing the “blood” from her hands (keenly rendered by Sharina Martin) and Macbeth’s grasping and losing of his “barren scepter” (every moment played from the gut by Dana Wall)."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...The cast features a fine collection of non-Equity talents. I especially like the work of Sharina Martin (Lady Macbeth), Nick Mikula (Malcolm), Kevin Cox (Macduff) and Craig Degel (Duncan/Seyton. Dana Wall’s Macbeth was remarkable. Wall reached depths of pathos and cunning seldom seen. This is a version of 'The Scottish Play' is worth seeing."