Archived Posts
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2014
Posh — U.S. Premiere
A review of the U.S. premiere of Posh at Steep Theatre, part of the critics' ongoing Chicago theater coverage.
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2014 – 2016
Brilliant Adventures: Gritty Realism with a Time Machine
Discussion of Brilliant Adventures at Steep Theatre, exploring the production's blend of gritty realism and speculative storytelling.
The Dueling Critics archive for Steep Theatre gathers reviews and conversations from critics Kelly Kleiman and Jonathan Abarbanel, offering perspectives on the company’s productions and the wider Chicago theater scene. The entries combine close attention to performance, directing, design, and writing with the lively disagreement that gives the podcast its identity. Rather than presenting a single institutional voice, the archive preserves the critics’ independent reactions and the questions that arise when they encounter a production together.
Readers can approach these posts as a record of theater viewed over time. A review may focus on the emotional force of a play, the way actors shape its characters, or the atmosphere created by a particular staging. Elsewhere, the discussion turns toward realism, storytelling, social context, and the choices that make a production feel immediate. The range reflects the critics’ interest in both popular theatrical entertainment and more searching dramatic work.
The archive also captures the experience of following a theater company across different seasons. Each entry offers a way to revisit a performance while considering how critical expectations are formed and challenged. Kelly Kleiman and Jonathan Abarbanel bring contrasting critical perspectives to the stage, creating a conversation that is sharper and more useful than a simple summary. Their writing is rooted in the belief that thoughtful criticism can deepen appreciation for live theater and illuminate the choices behind it.