Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Mary Bonnett's new play "Monger: The Awakening of J.B. Benton" subscribes to the Janelle Monae school of sexual Marxism: everything is sex, except sex, which is power. The fourth play in Her Story Theatre's "Chicago Sex Trafficking Cycle," it draws from research, interviews and the case of Desiree Robinson, a Chicago teenager who was forced into sex trafficking and then murdered. "Monger" might be ineffective as a drama, but it's harrowing nonetheless."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Chicago playwright Mary Bonnett's new drama, the fourth in a cycle examining the myriad consequences of sex trafficking, is exponentially more intricate and challenging than you might expect an issue play from a company called Her Story Theater to be. First, it pulls no punches. Every time attorney J.B. (Ira Amyx) logs on to a chat board for men comparing notes on the underage prostitutes they've bought—and he logs in obsessively during the play's 70 minutes"
Windy City Times - Not Recommended
"...Inspired by a real-life case, Monger follows a day in the life of a closet pedophile. ( The title refers to a group of men who chat online about paying underage girls and women for sex, comparing notes and seeking their next fix. ) Playwright Mary Bonnett is clearly passionate about raising awareness of sex trafficking. Sadly, passion is never enough, especially in ripped-from-the-headlines stories. Monger's three characters are comically over-the-top, which makes it difficult to take the story seriously."
Buzznews.net - Highly Recommended
"...I don't give away storylines as a rule, and I will choose to remain true to that. Just know that the material is hard-hitting and does not hold back any punches. What I really want is for you to go see this play. This is not a light-hearted, Friday evening good time. This is something real. Most of the time, we look to escape reality. This brings you back. In this play that is inspired by true events in Chicago, Bonnett explores the underworld of sex-trafficking using composites of people she interviewed and uses actual posts that comes from online chats by actual participants in this vile, shadowy world in making up some of the story's dialogue."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...Mary Bonnett’s play Monger: The Awakening of J.B. Benton tells a complicated Chicago crime story with several threads seemingly unconnected until the explosive conclusion. Porn addiction, high school bullying the murder of a teenaged girl, and underage sex trafficking. The 80-minute three-character play at Her Story Theater is tense and disturbing. John Mossman directs with precise attention to tone and detail. Projection designs by Parker Larngvardt are a key part of Bonnett’s set design."
TheatreWorld Internet Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...Playwright and activist Mary Bonnett, Her Story Theater founder, has just penned her hardest-hitting work, Monger: The Awakening of J. B. Benton, the fourth play in the "Chicago Sex Trafficking Cycle," receiving its World Premiere at the Greenhouse Theatre under the direction of co-founder of the Artistic Home Theatre, the critically acclaimed John Mossman. Monger, is more chilling than any of the previous plays because it tells the story of people who, for all intents and purposes, should be trustworthy and respectable. "
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...Monger is a 3-person play, the 4thin Bonnet’s series, Chicago Trafficking Cycle, about human trafficking. The characters missing from the visual field of action play every bit as important a role as the ones we see. Based on a real-life murder, with chilling projections by Parker Larngvardt that are derived intact both from Web sites offering underage young women for sex as well as from a predatory self-congratulatory “sharing” site, this is a performance that throws the sick notions and behaviors of “toxic manhood” into stark relief."
