"What is it that makes Chicagoland theater so special—and so different from theater in New York? If I had to sum it up in one sentence, I'd be stuck for words. If, on the other hand, I could send you to a show that embodies the differences between America's two great theater towns, I might well pick TimeLine Theatre Company's production of Aaron Sorkin's "The Farnsworth Invention," a play that didn't fully convince me when I first saw it three years ago on Broadway but which I bought hook, line and sinker when I saw it again last week in Chicago. ...
"TimeLine's spare, bare-bones staging, directed by Nick Bowling ... scrapes all the slickness off Mr. Sorkin's script and infuses it with a surging physical vitality that knocked me off my feet."
"... for Sorkin's fans, the cascade of words that spill from the mouth of impossibly articulate, passionate and self-aware characters offers incomparable textual excitement ... [Nick Bowling's production is] directed with intelligence, independence and a measure of heart absent from the Broadway original ... it's thoughtful, provocative and involving."
"RECOMMENDED ... filled with bristling, information-packed dialogue that zings and zags in the trademark style that made "The West Wing," Sorkin's television series, such a hit."
"At its best, The Farnsworth Invention has the panoramic sweep of a hefty nonfiction tome ... synthesizing reams of technical detail while keeping a tight focus on the larger-than-life figures battling at its center ... TimeLine's production is bracing throughout."
"PJ Powers plays Sarnoff, the tenacious founder of the National Broadcasting Company, with a caustic panache worthy of Entourage's infamous Ari Gold, while his corn-fed foil gets a passionate, sympathetic portrayal from Rob Fagin. Though they never met in real life, Farnsworth and Sarnoff narrate each other's lives with keen insight and grudging respect."
"A cornucopia of success at each elemental level required for a great stage experience: technical, performance, direction, writing ... a near perfect piece of storytelling ... TimeLine’s final offering of the season is a must-see."
"TimeLine Theatre once again demonstrates it has more than enough talent to realize its ambitions ... The thrill Farnsworth and his crew experience upon observing their first transmission is palpable ... these scenes and others demonstrate once again that TimeLine's time has come."
"The attention to physical detail in the production is indicative of Director Nick Bowling, and his intimate, crackling promenade staging comes with a number of rewards."
"A literate, sometimes tense, often humorous show ... Director Nick Bowling has done a masterful job of orchestrating the complex physical production."
"[PJ] Powers and [Rob] Fagin are outstanding as the fanatical visionaries both consumed by the possibilities of television ... The journey has a mysterious quality that keeps us on the edge of our seats wondering what will happen next ... There is a lot to love, and if you haven’t learned something new by the time the show is over I would be very surprised."
- Read what audience members have to say about The Farnsworth Invention on TimeLine's blog!
- "At the end of a landmark year, The Farnsworth Invention is not only a celebration of Timeline’s consistency as a company, but a promise to explore the possibilities of modern theater."
- "Has the lively sort of staging, acting and pacing that I’ve come to expect from the TimeLine Theatre Company"
