Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...And so we hear of her life with the louse she barely tolerates, who contributes not a penny to their existence. Of the berth she lost at a fairly upscale brothel, leaving her in far nastier circumstances. Of her best friend, who was slaughtered by the Ripper himself. "London's a city that would eat her own young," she says, a tinge of sorrow lingering beneath such a jaded assessment."
Chicago Reader - Not Recommended
"...She's Jack the Ripper's final victim, so his identity is a safe bet. For 90 minutes she flirts, cajoles, bargains, and ultimately relives her desperate life story, complete with multiple characters and accents. While Gail Rastorfer as Kelly is engaging (although sometimes given more to enthusiasm than craft), the familiar, squalid details of Kelly's story feel like grittier-than-average Dickens. Worse, the play makes no dramatic sense. Why is she carrying on for this stranger? Why does he listen? And what barkeep leaves his saloon unattended for so long?"
ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended
"...Aoise Stratford's The Unfortunates is the story of one woman's struggle through the violence and atrocities that women faced in 1800's Victorian London. It shows us the plight of Mary Jane Kelly, the prostitute believed to be the final victim of Jack the Ripper. Kelly, played by Gail Rastorfer, recounts her life as one of the 'unfortunate' women, growing up poor and being forced into a life of prostitution. The story is told through a one-on-one conversation between Kelly and a stranger in the Bells Public House, where she reveals her life story of how she went from a housewife in a Welsh mining town to a desperate prostitute turning tricks in the London's East End. Although opportunity from generous clients has taken her as far as Paris, presently she hasn't even enough to pay rent."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Victims of serial and mass killers are often thought to be people who were simply unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and therefore, to prevent future atrocities, a greater study should be made of the killer. Stratford seems interested in challenging that idea, in as much as that Jack the Ripper's victims were recognized even in their own time as people who had been written off and undervalued, and therefore, their targeting was not totally random and Victorian London had some soul-searching to do. Getting into the habit of listening to people like Mary Jane Kelly may be one of the most potent ways to prevent repeats of what happened to her. At the very least, with Rastorfer's performance, it's a fine way to pass the time in its own right."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Somewhat Recommended
"...The unfortunate thing about this production is that I do believe this is an interesting story and a story that is worth putting on stage. But I have to question the way it's being told. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm like the countless others who cast Mary Jane Kelly and her stories off to the side and dismissed her and them completely. Maybe this play is an opportunity to be forced to listen to an otherwise unrecognized subject. But theatre is a business of storytelling. It's a business of telling stories in an interesting and captivating way. This production lacks the tension and intrigue to take it from a fine play with good acting and great design to something truly special."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...SoloChicago has another hit to its credit, on the recent heels of their previous excellent production of "Churchill." Kurt Johns has found an exciting, spine-tingling play that's deserving of this company's typically professional production. It's a captivating portrait of a real person, a strong, admirable survivor who becomes much more than a mere statistic as Jack the Ripper's last victim. And in Gail Rastorfer's hands, guided by Kurt Johns and his gifted technical team, this play is an absolute must-see, guaranteed to bring chills to a warm summer Chicago night."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...The Unfortunates, staged by the new SoloChicago Theatre Company, is an excellent second outing from the company that produced the hit one-man show, Churchill, starring Ronald Keaton, in 2015."
