Votes For Women! presented by ShawChicago at Ruth Page Center For Arts

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Written a decade before British women got the vote, this suspenseful story of a militant suffragette and her ex-lover, a Conservative politician, links women's suffrage to economic injustice, class prejudice, reproductive rights, and the need for radical activism to stir a complacent political establishment to action. Substitute "health care reform" for "women's suffrage," and the rousing drama becomes as timely as it was a century ago."

Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended

"...There are many fascinating things surrounding Elizabeth Robins' 1907 drama Votes for Women!, now receiving a professional staged reading courtesy of ShawChicago. Unfortunately, the play's characters and plotting aren't nearly as interesting as the historical context behind the play."

Centerstage - Not Recommended

"...Talky, political plays don't have to be boring. George Bernard Shaw, for instance, wrote nothing else, but they are full of peerlessly witty dialogue, fascinatingly idiosyncratic characters, debates between strong, well-expressed viewpoints, and high, dramatic stakes. ShawChicago, which has the laudable goal of producing plays by Shaw and his contemporaries in staged reading form, has given us Elizabeth Robins's Votes for Women!, a 1907 drama about the Suffrage movement. Unfortunately, it possesses none of the qualities that distinguish Shaw's work, and is quite boring indeed."

Chicago Theater Beat - Somewhat Recommended

"...throughout the performance, one is torn between “we’ve come a long way baby” and “we got the vote, so what?” Yes, women can vote, own property, and run for President. On the other hand, the harsh and superior judgment of single mothers, welfare recipients and average-looking women continues to be prevalent. Regardless, however, Votes for Women is an important illustration of the evolution of thought regarding women’s rights. Hopefully by the 200th-anniversary production, women will have secured equality to men and each other."