LA Weekly - Not Recommended
"...Despite the considerable polish of the production and the fine precision of its ensemble, The Sweetheart Deal ultimately proves a pallid and overly sanitized accounting that offers few genuine insights or compelling surprises. Perhaps that's because the mystery of why so many in the early UFW were willing to give up so much for what they called "La Causa" is intrinsically tied to the personal charisma of Chavez himself. And to crack that enigma, a playwright would need to risk bringing Chavez down off the projection screen and put him center stage as a living character, replete with the flaws that have been the essence of gripping drama since the Greeks."
Stage and Cinema - Somewhat Recommended
"...It is a disappointing evening, much to be regretted, but the playwright is perhaps half-way there, so it deserves a re-working and re-mounting. Whether or not a history belongs to us, we need to know about them, and they're easily learned in this kind of venue."
LA Splash - Somewhat Recommended
"...Before the show, audiences were told that school children were attending theater matinees to see the play. As the story progressed, it became clear and this piece was designed to let kids see how immigrants fought for civil rights and how the present generation has benefitted from past often violent struggles - a message which seems very timely and highly relevant at this time. Despite its good intentions, however, THE SWEETHEART DEAL often edges close to propaganda, a political tract whose message is focused on what is going on among immigrant groups at this moment. While the message is powerful and meaningful, it was somewhat heavy-handed and may test the boundaries of theater entertainment."
Hollywood Progressive - Recommended
"...Sweetheart, which is produced by The Latino Theater Company in association with El Teatro Campesino, does us a great service by looking back at an important moment in labor and Latino history - and by doing so in a highly entertaining way. It also imaginatively uses an overhead, cyclorama-type screen to project archival footage and other imagery that are evocative of the play's plot and themes. There is also a companion El Teatro Campesino exhibition at the Los Angeles Theatre Center's Tom Bradley Theatre."
Night Tinted Glasses - Highly Recommended
"...Such a totally human situation, amid the valid and important "Big" events, moved me very much. The abstract became concrete, with a straightforward point of view but no easy answers. Now, admittedly, I am no fan of polemic theatre. But The Sweatheart Deal handled well and avoided the pitfalls of the type (the very very end seemed a bit anti-climactic to me, but your mileage may vary). Which proves on par for what I've come to expect from the Latino Theater Company-good plays, performed very well but a solid and talented corps of actors."
Stage Raw - Highly Recommended
"...As a veteran of El Teatro Campesino, the political theater troupe founded in 1965 as the cultural arm of the United Farm Workers, playwright-director Diane Rodriguez knows of what she writes. Like the Teatro's actos (skits) performed before farmworkers and their supporters on flatbed trucks in the fields or in union halls, Rodriguez's work, at times didactic and long on exposition, is a stirring call to arms at a time when one cannot stay neutral or "forget those who labor.""
Peoples World - Recommended
"...Consistent with the company's goal of focusing on the convergence of people, cultures and ideas, this new play explores themes of Mexican American identity and its relationship to history. Student outreach, including a well produced informative brochure with some vital background on the farm workers' union, the lively press and theatre company that it spawned, and the leaders and volunteers who carried out the unionization struggle, guarantees that future generations will be able to build on this collective national epic."
Capital And Main - Recommended
"...Written and directed by Diane Rodriguez, The Sweetheart Deal is an amiable blend of political agitprop and audience-pleasing melodrama that unfolds against the backdrop of the struggle to empower the United Farm Workers union. While there's little complexity to the script, the production features skillful performances, especially from the two leads, and accomplished production values that envelop the unexceptional plot and dialogue with historical significance and scope."
