Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...With "Marys Seacole," playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury (who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2029 for her comedy "Fairview") attempts to capture the radical, epic life of a woman who spent the bulk of her years tending to the medical needs of people in crisis, whether on the front lines of the Crimean War or the epicenter of a South American cholera outbreak. As the title indicates, we see multiple Marys in Griffin Theatre's 90-minute production, directed at rapid-fire pace by Jerrell L. Henderson and Hannah Todd."
Chicago Reader - Not Recommended
"...Despite a powerhouse performance by Stephanie Mattos as Mary, there is simply too much going on here in Griffin’s production (directed by Jerrell L. Henderson and Hannah Todd) to form a coherent play. Further, the actresses’ frequent full-bore use of Jamaican dialect meant that much of the dialogue was lost to the ear of this middle-aged white lady, at least. And the final sequence, in which the cast members speak in unison about the fragility of the maternal body, would be very powerful if the play had clearly focused on that subject. Instead, Marys Seacole is a puzzlement, a series of missed opportunities to explore a range of interesting topics."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...Stephanie Mattos did a great job as the time traveling Mary. She was so great at showing her distress with Florence Nightingale, and with her pupils in the practice of nursing. Mackenzie Williams as Mamie had a strong role as being Mary’s chaperon/minder in the past, and as a pupil and medical aide in the future and past. Jesi Mullins as May and Florence plays the stern mother in the future visiting her elderly demented disabled mother in a nursing home, while being a mother to a teenage daughter played by Izzie Jones (Miriam)."
Chicago Theatre Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...It's just not clear if the juxtaposition of the two time periods is so confusing and frustrating because of Jackie Sibblies Drury’s writing, or if the direction simply isn’t clear enough. Jerrell L. Henderson and Hannah Todd, the two experienced, talented directors of this production, certainly have large, respectable resumes of credentials. And this superior cast of impressive, talented actresses—particularly the incredible Stephanie Mattos in the title role—definitely bring everything they have to offer to their performances. But whatever it is, a drama about such an important historical figure, whose pioneering work in healthcare earned her a memorial statue at St. Thomas Hospital in London, demands a finer theatrical depiction than this strange play."
Buzznews.net - Recommended
"...Playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury titled the play 'Marys' Seacole to emphasize its depiction of multiple Marys. Jerrell L. Henderson and Hannah Todd direct the collective Marys in kaleidoscopic vignettes at breakneck pace."
Chicago On Stage - Recommended
"...Jackie Sibblies Drury's expressionistic biographical play Marys Seacole is the Pulitzer Prize winner's deep dive into the role of the female healer in the world, focusing on Mary Seacole, the lauded 19th Century Jamaican "doctress" who, like Florence Nightingale, became famous for helping wounded soldiers during the Crimean War, even building a "hotel" to look after them. But Drury's intentions go much beyond that: she wants to show that all mothers, nurses, and caregivers in all eras share a societal and historical connection to each other and to Seacole. They are all "Marys"; hence the plural title."
