"what lies beneath"
Khe Sanh Bagman-
"Gritty Bagman ideal for those who want their dose of Daley politics". "Boys in the Valley is a teriffic little play". Chris Jones
"Author Leigh Johnson's insights into the bitter ironies of those troubled times are astutely illustrated and articulately expressed".
Mary Barnidge
One of "Five Plays to See Now", New City.
Lefties-
"The essence of this play is a father-son unable to communicate except thru baseball. The relatable parent-child and parent-adult child is the thought provoking stuff that engages on a monumental level".
Katy Walsh
A highly ambitious world premiere by promising playwright Leigh Johnson.
Chicago Theater Addict
Lotto Fever in the Sucker State-
"Everything about Lotto Fever has the feel of "community" because this is a feel-good loving and loveable homage to the life of small farmers with enough smart-alecky banter to keep you tittering right from the start".
SPLASH Magazine Chicago
A PRAYER FOR THE SANDINISTAS -
"Ultimately a story of virtue and understanding, where at its core, redemption can always be found. We can empathize with every character portrayed. History significantly shapes each backstory, bringing clarity and understanding to even the most misguided intents. There is not a single character in the story so deliberately antagonistic so as to elicit total repudiation. Nor is there anyone depicted with chastity so absolute that the viewer cannot relate. Even the modus operandi of the story's most definitive villain is mitigated through an apparent exposition of tragedy"
Julius Bautista - Picture This Post
The themes in this play are extremely prevalent, tackling the ideas of God’s love versus God’s wrath. Playwright Leigh Johnson points out the importance of community, family and at least some sort of faith (whether it’s faith in religion or faith in a cause) by constructing strong, flushed-out characters, each with their own unique point of view.
The Real Chicago
What Johnson does well is to provide us with complex characters; the wine loving priest is truly pastoral, one of the Sandinistas is not without conscience, and the rebel son is able to separate faith from family. People are seldom ever one thing. Each of us hides within ourselves good, bad and ugly character traits. This covert truth is, of itself, something to celebrate in this drama.
Terry Boyle – Irish American News
What the critics have said-
Photos of Leigh's past productions
Leigh is a gentleman farmer out past Aurora, IL. He is our own private farmers market. He hates rabbits....
Leigh has been a playwright for 30+ years. Some of his past produced work includes Uncle Carlos Explains (2025 STC), A Bump on the Leg (2023 STC), Legalize Lutefisk LIVE (2011,13 & 19, STC) Brothers Keeper (2015 STC), Little Stones (2018 SSP), Lotto Fever in the Sucker State (2014, SSP) and Lefties (2013, SSP)
Leigh Johnson