A Young Lady From Rwanda at The Greenhouse Theater Center

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...in Andrea J. Dymond's intensely authentic and superbly acted show for the Victory Gardens Theater -- this 2005 play by the British scribe Sonya Linden packs the kind of intimate but blistering punch that takes you completely by surprise."

Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended

"...This is a play that leaves you at once devastated by its reminder of the savage cruelty human beings are capable of, yet at the same time fills you with surprising hope at human resilience. It is a work that can hold its own alongside "The Diary of Anne Frank," that invaluable primary document that emerged from an earlier Holocaust."

Daily Herald - Somewhat Recommended

"...Victory Gardens’ production — directed by Andrea J. Dymond, with strong performances from Yetide Badaki and Lance Stuart Baker and an appropriately aus-tere set and lighting by Mary Griswold and Jaymi Lee Smith — is solid."

SouthtownStar - Recommended

"... an extraordinary and fascinating Chicago premiere that, under Andrea J. Dymond's masterful direction, offers a provocative and penetrating presentation at Victory Gardens Theater."

Windy City Times - Highly Recommended

"...All in all, though, this is one of the most beautiful and moving stories I’ve seen told on a Victory Gardens stage, and it’s not to be missed."

Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...Remarkable Document presents itself as a political work and asks to be judged as such. Although playwright Linden clearly has the finest intentions—the play was based on her own noble work with Rwandan refugees—she’s incapable of making Badaki’s character the hero of her own story; a vaguely charitable white man must get the credit for her recovery."

ChicagoCritic - Not Recommended

"...Covering genocide in modern Africa is a worthy topic that needs to be explored by playwrights. However, Sonja Linden’s work is amazingly dull and unemotional. Where is the rage, the nightmares and that accompanies survivors of genocide?"

Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended

"...As the play so eloquently points out, writing is a cathartic experience, and the experiences depicted ring true. It's a subtle piece that builds to an emotionally powerful and moving theatre experience. Radiant Yetide Badaki elicits compassion in a beautiful and dignified portrayal of Juliette."