Women Beware Women Reviews
Chicago Reader- Somewhat Recommended
"...I applaud the company for taking on work few others dare to do and doing so with Spanish supertitles (translation by Sonia Perelló) for accessibility. Though that made it accessible in one way, the length made it inaccessible in another way. There has to be a middle ground."
Around The Town Chicago- Somewhat Recommended
"...Thomas Middleton’s original play, written in 1657 has come along way in this adaptation by Kevin V. Smith ( who also directed the production) and Daiva Bhandari ( who also plays the female lead). They have brought it to our time and yet, have also reverted back to the time when written. They also take it to a play within a play during the second act, confusing the audience by starting the second act with current fashions rather than the costumes (Alaina Moore) of yore."
Buzznews.net- Somewhat Recommended
"...WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN presented several problems for me, but these did not override its contributions: a stellar cast giving amazing performances and a wonderful production team. The flaw was that all this excellence exceeded itself - altogether too much of a good thing. Blue in the Right Way is unquestionably a theatre company to watch. Kevin Smith revealed himself as courageous and adventuresome; if Kevin can muster a soupçon of temperance Kevin can offer an invaluable addition to Chicago's theatre scene."
The Fourth Walsh- Somewhat Recommended
"...Blue in the Right Way, Chicago's newest theatre company, makes a lasting impression in its ambitious debut. Co-founders Kevin V. Smith and Daiva Bhandari dust off Thomas Middleton's classic. Their queer, feminist adaptation is a unique take on Middleton's 1621 psychosexual revenge tragedy. Smith (co-adapter, director) and Bhandari (co-adapter, actor) blur the lines between 1621/2024, sex/violence, live/film, drama/comedy, performance art/staged play, and even English/Spanish. The results... it's a lot to take in!"
Third Coast Review- Somewhat Recommended
"...The early modern work Women Beware Women was written at a time when Shakespeare was still writing, so it recalls elements of the bard's style and influences. However, the play lacks Shakespeare's essential structural fluency, which might explain why there are fewer adaptations and classical stagings of Middleton's than Shakespeare’s body of work. This production approaches the Jacobean era and its value system from a modern perspective, staging two trans-femme characters in French maid-style costumes as the play's narrators: the super-talented Kidany Camilo (Solange) and Bree Perry (Clara)."