Response: The Confession

City Lit's production of The Confession met with a lot of different response from the Chicago theatre community. Staying faithful to City Lit's cookie-cutter adaptation style, the story played more like a novel than a theatrical production leaving the action to the narrative and giving us dry scenes lost in conversations:

Chicago Reader:

"The script is out of whack, lavishing stage time on trivia while leaving crucial events undramatized."

New City Stage:

"The adaptation relies heavily on exposition, with numerous monologues performed in front of a curtain that opens and closes to cut from narrative to short action scenes, and because of the sheer time spent telling instead of showing... But it still creates intelligent suspense and real fear remarkably well."

TimeOut Chicago:

"The script very ably manages the dusty plot devices deployed by Rinehart."

Steadstyle Chicago:

"The Confession is an actor’s dream, filled with curious and complex characters who despite their better judgment want to believe that they are immune to any dark forces."

Chicagocritic.com:

"City Lit’s production is a workable mystery that could use a quicker pace to heighten the suspense but it still delivers Rinehart’s psychological thriller aptly."

Happy Birthday: Sir Noel Coward (1899-1973)