Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...All this could make for a thrilling play, especially given the talent Shattered Globe Theatre has assembled. But Rebecca Lenkiewicz's lax writing, alternately perfunctory and rambling, turns dire situations into measured conversations. Very little feels pressing, and Roger Smart's sluggish pacing makes the problem worse."
Centerstage - Somewhat Recommended
"...Sadly, I feel like Shattered Globe’s production misses many opportunities to connect with those powerful currents of emotion coursing through this story. Logistically, the production is solid; it’s clear that a lot of care and attention went into making it. 18 actors are deployed liberally and energetically about a steep, layered prison set that fills the tiny stage to the rafters. The costumes are nice; the lighting is proficient. But someone took their eye off the story amidst the flurry of marketing and rehearsals and costume renderings, and the result is a production that photographs well, but does not serve the story it was trying to tell very well."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Sheila O’Connor is appealingly doe-eyed as Eve, but it’s tough to get invested in the outcome of her relationship with Linda Reiter’s Celia, who speaks in haughty aphorisms and comes across as awfully stuck-up for a libertine. Like Lenkiewicz’s script, Roger Smart’s production tries to cram too much into a limited space—18 actors on Andrew Hildner’s cramped bilevel set. Among them, Melissa Riemer stands out as saucy organizer Florence Boorman. Let’s see a play about her."
Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended
"... “Her Naked Skin” presses a large cast of characters – jailers, doctors, MPs, demonstrators – into the small performing space at Stage 773. That compression intensifies the hurly-burly in the streets and brings us heart to heart with intimacy. Andrew Hildner’s multilevel set well serves both extremes, and Lindsay Schmeling’s period costumes — blooming undergarments everywhere — put a flavorful stamp on the scene. Not least, to each soul in this cross-section of life in time of foment, Shattered Globe’s company gives a distinctive face and bearing."
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"...I found Her Naked Skin to be 2o minutes too long and the blend of the two stories short-changed the suffragette’s story. Linda Reiter and Shelia O’ Connor gave excellent performances. The ensemble work by the large cast was fine. Tim Newell had many terrific moments as the troubled husband. The production values, set design by Andrew Hildner with period perfect costumes by Lindsay Schmeling, served the production well."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...“Her Naked Skin” pays deep homage to the martyrs of forced feeding and the militant feminists who practiced sharp shooting in Epping Forest (just in case). Like Dame Edith Smythe’s magnificent suffragette anthem, Melissa Riemer remains stalwart in action as a principled proponent of sexual equality. Roger Smart’s brilliant 18-member ensemble conjure up the pre-World War I agitation that only that war could quiet and finally reward. A superbly chosen cast offer a cross-section of English society at a major crossroads, with a carping chorus of male bullies in Parliament a stark contrast to the quiet conviction of the striking (in every way) suffragettes."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Recommended
"...HER NAKED SKIN is a thought-provoking herstory lesson. The matinee I saw was sponsored by the Chicago League of Women Voters. Their presence was a real life reminder of the significance of the sacrifice of thousands of suffragettes. HER NAKED SKIN helps us remember and appreciate our precious privilege to love and vote freely."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...The ensemble works hard to make this play really work and while there are many fine moments, I for one found that two and a half hours was far to long to tell this lovely little love story. This is a small theater and so, noticing several “sleepers” or dozers causes others to lose concentration and focus on a historical story about “freedom”. Not just the freedom to vote or the freedom to work, but the freedom to make choices- choices of your won. Freedom to have a love interest that is not what society wants or expects you to have, so while I liked the concept, I would have found it a bit more intriguing to get to the heart of the matter and to bring these characters lives to completeness in the end. This is a story that offers history and some intrigue about the people of the time- those shackled by their lives, both on the inside and outside."
