Here is a summary of the critical response to the play, including
links to the full articles.
"Emilio Williams's deft,
of-the-moment comedy is worth tweeting about. (...) Williams and his
deft cast tweak theatrical conventions and technological obsessions with
joy and, indeed, smarts."
-Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago
http://timeoutchicago.com/arts-culture/theater/15538116/smartphones-a-pocket-size-farce-at-trap-door-theatre-theater-review
"Smartphones: A Pocket-Size Farce is a smart, well-executed show with just the right ratio of mockery to substance. Recommended"
-Keith Griffith, Chicago Reader
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/smartphones-a-pocket-size-farce/Event?oid=6938347
"The
production design is spectacular, evoking an mid-60s flavor. (...) It
looks fantastic, and the performances (hilariously arch) are stylized
and otherwordly."
-Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ott-0727-on-the-fringe-20120726,0,7713654.story
"Ah,
what a refreshing thing a good farce can be on a hot summer day. In a
nation with a drought of not just rain but quality satire, the premiere
of Emilio Williams' Smartphones: A Pocket-Size Farce delivers a quirky
little comedy with a sneakily smart dose of both old and new humor."
-Clint May, Chicago Theater Beat
http://chicagotheaterbeat.com/2012/07/22/review-smartphones-a-pocket-size-farce/
"One
of the funniest and cleverest pieces of absurd theater I have ever
seen. (...) I laughed, I gasped, I cringed, I enjoyed every second of
it. It's theater of the absurd for the digital age."
-Jake Lindquist, Chicago Stage Style
http://steadstylechicago.com/smartphones.htm
"IT'S
ABSURD HOW AMAZING TRAP DOOR THEATRE IS...OR IS IT THE OTHER WAY
AROUND? (...) Emilio Williams is a new voice worth following.
" - Paul Kubicki. Stage and Cinema
http://www.stageandcinema.com/2012/07/26/smartphones/
“The
cast delivers the craziness with a calculated combination of
choreographed restraint and reckless abandon. (…)This show looks as good
as next year’s iPhone upgrade. Recommended”
-Venus Zarris, Chicago Stage Review
http://www.chicagostagereview.com/?p=25972
“The
cast is wonderful as a unit, but Jodi Kingsley (…) manages to humanize
an absurdist character, and once you’ve seen that, you start to think
that all absurdist comedies might be improved by such a performance.
Recommended”
-Lisa Findley, Center Stage
http://www.centerstagechicago.com/theatre/shows/13059.html#review