Reviews
for GAME OVER:
...its keen observation of war's stress points abroad and at home marks Levine, helmer Corby Sullivan and the cast as talents to watch. Levine is acutely aware, as much popular fiction is not, that war doesn't necessarily turn haunted ex-warriors into screaming lunatics.
--Variety
The best plays generally involve some form of transformation with at least the main character and, ideally, with all the characters — not in some artificial, let’s-shoehorn-an-interesting-twist-in-an-otherwise-uninteresting-script way, but in a manner that feels natural, life-like. “Game Over,” a work by a young New York playwright named Josh Levine, does just that. Ostensibly a play about two soldiers struggling to cope with life back home, “Game Over” is really about people trying to make human connections, keep human connections and forget human connections. That each of the trio of characters in “Game Over” at some point taps into all of those categories shows that Levine is a writer in command of his craft.
--Burlington Free Press
When a new report reveals shocking stats on suicide or post-traumatic stress disorder among vets, media attention focuses on their struggles for a news cycle or two and then fades. These numbing statistics overwhelm us with the problem’s magnitude while depersonalizing the anguish of individuals. In "Game Over," playwright Josh Levine deftly takes away the anesthetic of unfathomable numbers. His intimate character study focuses on the relationships of three close friends, two of whom have just come back from Iraq. Levine crafts sensitive characters with whom we connect easily. He makes us think and confront issues that we’d rather avoid. ... "Game Over" fits well with the company’s aim, which ... is to present “theater that still asks questions [and] awakens the soul.” Mission accomplished; Levine’s show is both thought provoking and emotionally engaging. ... Tune out the drone of war news if you must. But don’t turn away from an absorbing play, where insight aplenty remains.
--Seven Days
for A MERRY JEWISH CHRISTMAS:
Chicago Magazine: TOP FIVE #1 - A MERRY JEWISH CHRISTMAS
Christmas Eve and Chanukah overlap in this comedy...
Chicago Sun-Times: 10 Really Cool Things To Do
#3 - Happy Christmaskah!
Josh Levine's sparkling comedy, A MERRY JEWISH CHRISTMAS, won audience's heart when it premiered last season... --Chicago Sun-Times
Josh Levine combines the best of two holidays into a gay-themed comedy that hopes to be family-friendly in a new way.
--Chicago Tribune
Josh Levine’s story of David Bernstein as directed by Jeremy Weschler, is a cozy little tale of the collage of outbursts, henpecking, unconditionally loving criticism and unveiling of black sheep after sheep that holiday family gatherings so unfailingly generate...Lighthearted, witty and ever-moving forward to one antic after another, it has all the yummy humor of a screwball comedy without the overkill aftertaste of an excessively fried latke. Surely a treat for all, Goyim or not.
--CenterStage Chicago
Now in its second year, A Merry Jewish Christmas is a cute holiday show for those of us who are tired of all the sappy Christmas plays. Playwright Josh Levine knows how to make a lightweight comedy work. He wisely gets close to pat situations and stereotypical characters but never crosses the line. Instead his play, A MERRY JEWISH CHRISTMAS, works fine as a comedy that explores wondrous and complicated family life. This show contains a surprising number of belly laughs...This clever plotted show is a blend of family comedy, suspenseful drama with a few surprises. When being Jewish is more important than being gay, playwright Levine presents enough screwball humor to melt away those extra pounds that holiday treats seem to produce on us. I enjoyed this well crafted show. Thank God it isn’t another Dickens play! Recommended.
--Chicago Stage Talk Radio/Chicago Critic
It is a treasure of a great blend of family humor and the drama that makes families so wonderful and complicated. Betty gives it a “two thumbs up”!
--Metra Online