"Under the impeccable direction of Carlo Lorenzo Garcia, the superb actors morph easily through their three stages of development and use Maxwell's mix of real and hothouse language and goth imagination to maximum effect. This gifted ensemble also makes sure the play's modern-day Grimm fairy tale quality haunts you long after you've left the theater."
-Chicago Sun-Times (Highly Recommended)

"Douglas Maxwell's sharp dialogue gets the restlessness of small-town teen life just right, and Carlo Lorenzo Garcia's well-cast American premiere for Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. features some breathtaking moments... one of the most effective and surprising endings I've seen in a while..."
-Chicago Tribune

"Carlo Lorenzo Garcia's four performers do a great job of embracing their inner boys...and the fantasy scenes enacting Giggles's stories are believably childlike, funny and touching."
- Chicago Reader

"directed by Carlo Lorenzo Garcia, the piece immerses you in a fascinating world of tormented men with more bear-in-a-china shop, self-loathing energy than self-preservation skills...rather than being a source of frustration, the amorphous ending is a thing of almost transcendental beauty, a surreal and unknowable benediction from some vast, benevolent god. "
-Windy City Times

"The drama's U.S. premiere is helped by Garcia's note-perfect cast, playing out unruly lives marked by the jagged Scottish cliffside. While Behrendt in particular compels as the ringleader turned outsider, all four actors shine amid the gloom."
- TimeOut Chicago

"In only 95 minutes, and with one intermission, Maxwell, Carlo Lorenzo Garcia (Director), Dan Behrendt (Fraser), Layne Manzer (Paul), Kevin V. Smith (Giggles) and John Wilson (Alan) impart a true sense of the holiday spirit - that which encompasses laughter, joy, grief, hope, confusion and even spirituality, without needing to have the crutch of a story that speaks, specifically, about the holiday season.
For anyone who wants to experience joy, sadness, and the potential to be moved to tears in their holiday theater-going experience, don't miss Our Bad Magnet."
-Edge Chicago

"Douglas Maxwell's play is rich, moving, funny and real, and well served by Carlo Lorenzo Garcia's direction, which keeps the right balance of tension and humor. All four actors are excellent, but it is a testament to Maxwell's writing that even the offstage characters seem to be entirely real, fully integrated parts of this play's world. It's a beautiful piece about how a youthful desire to achieve greatness is, at its core, more about a desire for acceptance."
-Centerstage Chicago

"This suspenseful work is a fresh take on childhood bonding and its effects on shaping the adults we become. For a well done off-beat drama, Our Bad Magnet will attract. Mary-Arrchie Theatre continues to mount stage worthy plays."
- ChicagoCritic.com (Recommended)

"The fearless young director Carlo Lorenzo Garcia was not overwhelmed by the Scottish pronunciation and all its limitations. When came across Our Bad Magnet, he seized a good story and set it into motion with very pleasing results. Our Bad Magnet is a really intriguing look at the rules of attraction and how much and how little people care about each other. "
-Steadstyle Chicago

"the real genius of this show, which is watching all four delicately controlled actors maneuver with remarkable skill in portraying the characters from childhood to adulthood, with an especially nuanced performance from Dan Behrendt as the incorruptible protagonist. Director Carlo Lorenzo Garcia understands that their town is another silent character, and the presence of Girvan, Scotland hangs heavily over the play, where the show's aesthetic of stylized cliffs, tiny school chairs, and an eighties indie rock soundtrack anchors the story and keeps it from drifting too far into the world of stereotype."
-New City (Recommended)

"John Wilson as the lighthearted and loveable Alan and Kevin V. Smith as the brooding, brilliant Giggles were especially radiant. First time director, Carlo Lorenzo Garcia, handles the material well and adds beautiful flourishes throughout. His staging works on a variety of levels, and it is no coincidence that the set is an idyllic Scottish field that lays precariously close to a deadly cliff."
-CheekyChicago.com

OUR BAD MAGNET
Now Thru Dec. 21st 2008
***JEFF RECOMMENDED***
www.maryarrchie.com/now.html