Confederates Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...John C. Calhoun, a powerful South Carolinian politician and one of the most outspoken defenders of slavery in the first half of the 19th century, popularized the phrase “peculiar institution” as a euphemism for the brutal practice then thriving throughout the southern United States. In Dominique Morisseau’s 2022 play “Confederates,” now onstage at Redtwist Theatre, one enslaved woman’s experiences of this peculiar institution are juxtaposed with those of a modern-day Black woman navigating another institution, less overtly insidious but still thorny: higher education."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Staged by Aaron Reese Boseman in Redtwist’s compact Edgewater space, Confederates is the ideal “ideas” play, provocative but also incredibly funny, endearing, and challenging. When an inflammatory meme is stuck to Sandra’s (Monique Marshaun) office door, she must evaluate relationships with both her students and colleagues."

Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

"...On paper, Dominique Morisseau’s Confederates might read as high concept: two Black women in different eras confront institutionalized racism. It’s tempting to see the stories as straightforward parallels, especially since the same actors play supporting roles in both narratives, but this fiercely intelligent and nuanced work resists easy interpretation."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...Dominique Morisseau’s complex and multilayered script “The Confederates” is very creative and thought-provoking, a glimpse into the hidden past of the origins of racism and misogyny. The play asks the question: To what extent does racial bias against black people (and especially black women) stem from the history of enslavement during the Confederacy as well as subsequent racial prejudice and discrimination with Jim Crow? And why does this vicious and cruel legacy from the past persist in so many conscious and unconscious forms up through the present day?"

Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended

"...This play, by one of America's finest contemporary playwrights, defies being pigeonholed into one category. But, as it rages onward toward its explosive conclusion, the exploration of racism and gender bias, both then and now, is entertaining and offers a powerful message that audiences will never forget."

The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended

"...Under the skillful direction of Aaron Reese Boseman, the acting is excellent. A commanding Monique Marshaun (Sandra) begins the show with a blistering dissertation of her extensive African American studies and her current rage and disbelief that she is a victim of a hate crime. The next scene -and a century and half in the past, a fierce Shenise Danyel (Sara) bandages her brother, Makari Robinson-McNeese (Abner/Malik), from his war wounds while trying to persuade him to take her with him back to battle. Their exchange is both playful ribbing between siblings and a grim nod to the reality of their situation."

Third Coast Review - Recommended

"...It’s evening, and Sandra (Monique Marshaun) is alone in her office. She pulls out a bottle of wine and is set to unwind until co-worker and assistant professor Jade (Toccara Castleman) walks into the room. At first, the conversation is fairly casual. Sandra offers Jade a glass of wine as the two begin to chat about their experiences teaching at the university. Being the only two Black female professors in the department, there is a lot of pressure, but both seem to have their own way of approaching the work and students."

Chicago Theater and Arts - Highly Recommended

"...Be prepared – – I am getting ready to gush because this production of Confederates by playwright Dominique Morrisseau and directed by Aaron Reese-Boseman at Redtwist Theater is the level of writing and performance I hope to see when attending a play."

MaraTapp.org - Highly Recommended

"...A compelling piece, Confederates offers linked tales of two women. One is a political scientist revered for her scholarship, high standards for her students and active use of intelligence to combat institutional racism. The other is a spirited slave with spunk, smarts, sass and an ability to survive her abuses as she fights for her freedom."

NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...Directed by Aaron Reese Boseman, “Confederates” is an interesting experiment by playwright Dominique Morisseau (“The Detroit Project”) that has powerful moments and two strong female leads in Monique Marshaun as Sandra and Shenise Brown as Sara. There are good discussions here about how women must struggle to claim their own personhood, and how racism still poisons the nation 161 years since the Civil War’s end. But the play doesn’t quite satisfy, due to limited character development, the flat, academic feel of some of the dialogue and some odd choices in the slave story."