Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...Where do we fit in this vastness? Henrietta Leavitt helped map the distances in space, and paradoxically brought us closer to understanding our own place in the universe. Though "Silent Sky," like "Hidden Figures," indulges in some familiar dramaturgical tropes, it also shines with the luminous joy of re-centering women whose achievements have been too long overlooked by the telescope of history."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...In Lauren Gunderson's "Silent Sky," Leavitt's story unfolds with a beauty and complexity worthy of the skies she mapped. Directed by Melanie Keller for Oak Brook's First Folio Theatre, the production's five-person ensemble creates a gorgeous, inspiring drama that manages to convey both the vastness of an endless world and the subtlest of human emotions."
Daily Herald - Recommended
"...Visually, there is much to admire about First Folio's production, including Angela Weber Miller's minimalist set, an observatory with a classical design that reflects both the scientific and the sacred. The combination of John "Smooch" Medina's celestial projections and Michael McNamara's moody lighting make for some stunning moments."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Lauren Gunderson's simple, gracefully written biographical play, about pioneering American astronomer Henrietta Leavitt-whose discoveries in the early 20th century greatly expanded our conception of the size of the universe-is well matched by director Melanie Keller's strong, elegant, moving production for First Folio Theatre."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...A great deal of credit must go to Bissell for making Gunderson's modern language sound authentic to her graceful oddball character, though the rest of the cast all hold their own. By showing what drove Leavitt and the people like her, First Folio's production not only teaches about an important part of history, it also spurs us to pursue and honor their investigations into the natural world, while being more mindful of how much we rely on each other."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...By the end of the play, Bissell’s tear-filled voice as she looks out over the universe her ideas, and her faith, have helped uncover, it is a hard heart that is not moved to add an amen of a sniffle or a sob. It’s the kind of performance, the kind of story, that lifts the spirits, that engenders care and affection, and cements a new appreciation for this boundless wonder called the universe."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...It’s no small thing to write an entertaining play on a difficult and unfamiliar scientific subject but Gunderson has largely pulled it off. Bissell carries the play with truth and intelligence as well as charm and warmth. In its quiet command of a complex character, her performance hasn’t been topped by any other actress I’ve seen this season. The performance earns the ultimate compliment. The viewer can’t imagine the role being played any other way. And the final visual moment of the production choked me up."
