Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Galileo’s Daughter puts Maria Celeste Galilei (played by Emily Bosco with soulful forthrightness) at the center of the dramatic firmament, where her father (Chiké Johnson) wrestles with his conscience over how to care for his illegitimate offspring while he’s facing his own impending meteoric collision with the church. Placed in a convent for safekeeping, Bosco’s Maria Celeste writes numerous letters to her father and, as Dickey deftly shows, inspire Galileo’s use of a play as a means of arguing heliocentrism vs. geocentrism."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"... The Writer, played by core ensemble member Linda Gillum, has gone to Italy on a grant to write a play about the letters of Galileo's illegitimate daughter Maria Celeste played by Chicago newcomer Emily Bosco. Galileo is proposing that the Earth rotates around the sun, a theory considered blasphemous. In order to protect his daughter from the Inquisition he might face, he has her enter a convent where her brilliant mind is not necessarily appreciated until she puts it to use in service."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...There is nothing like “live ” theater and over the years, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company has brought some great stories to the stages they occupy. Many old classic and often, as they are doing right now, a Wolrd Premiere. The play is entitled “Galileo’s Daughter” and is a one act, 85 minute, production that tells a story about a woman, who in this case happens to be the playwright, Jessica Dickey, while pondering her impending divorce, goes to Florence to search for more information about the relationship between Galileo Galiel and his eldest daughter, Maria Celeste."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...This new play by Jessica Dickey, directed with grace and dignity by Marti Lyons, is bewitching and enthralling. Costumed by Finnegan Chu and staged upon Yeaj Kim's versatile scenic design, the production is beautifully enhanced by John Boesche's incredible projections and Christopher Kriz's sound design and original music. Theatergoers will find delight in this deep and often funny story about the relationship between a father and daughter, who just happens to be one of the superstars of science. In addition, it's a story of scholarly sleuthing and emotional self-discovery that spans centuries. Remy Bumppo has, once again, done itself proud."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...GALILEO'S DAUGHTER is like "Eat, Love, Pray....Learn" where a woman's journey of self discovery takes a scientific turn. The playwright leans a little more into autobiographical than the historic fiction. At times, Dickey's chronicling her own experience overshadows the famous father and daughter's unusual relationship. She seems to emphasize the process of finding the letters over the actual content of the letters. Still, the show is an enjoyable intro into Galileo and his family."
Third Coast Review - Recommended
"...Galileo's Daughter, a world premiere being presented by Remy Bumppo Theatre, is more a meditation on family and science than a play in a strictly theatrical sense. The story is woven from contemporary scenes, when an American playwright goes to Florence to research the life of Galileo's daughter, and the 17th century family scenes between the mathematician/astronomer and his daughter. You could eliminate the contemporary scenes and the story would still enthrall us with the beauty of two minds and their love for each other."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...Ultimately, this lovely and deeply philosophical (not to mention educational) play, at its core, is a reflection of Galileo’s most famous invention, the telescope. Looked through in the usual way, from the smaller end, it is able to make far-away things seem closer. Looking through the larger end, though, can put the universe—and our small place in it—in perspective. Our personal troubles feel far less confining when viewed in relationship to everything and everyone else. Gillum’s Writer finally sees this universal truth, though knowing it doesn’t make the pain go away. Maybe, though, it can allow her to deal with it."
Life and Times - Highly Recommended
"...The play Galileo's Daughter takes the little-known relationship between father and daughter and develops it into something truly touching - evoking such things as sympathy, respect, enlightenment, and even a few chuckles. All in all, Galileo's Daughter is a well-rounded theatrical delight."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"..."Galileo's Daughter" is also the directorial debut of Marti Lyons in her new role as Remy Bumppo's artistic director. She has a strong cast which makes the most of the largely spare stage that is augmented with evocative video of old Florence. Lyons skillfully squeezes her small cast into its many characters and gives a premiere to an intriguing play that may still face revisions, but is very much worth seeing today."
