The Hundred Dresses presented by Chicago Children's Theatre at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Sean Graney's production for Chicago Children's Theatre is packed with solid performances. Natalie Berg and Leslie Ann Sheppard are especially winning as the bullies--one mean, the other repentant--at the center of the story. The narrative unfolds a little too slowly for my taste, but my 10-year-old, who encountered the book in the second grade, was delighted."

ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended

"...The 65-minute musical tale is a remarkably insightful adaptation of Eleanor Estes’ beloved children’s classic of the same title. Positioned during the final throes of World War II, the original novel weaves the story of a young Polish immigrant, Wanda Petronski, and the harassment-riddled experience that often awaited such families in the United States. Chicago adapters Ralph Covert and G. Riley Mills have largely eschewed the time stamps of the narrative source material and instead opt for a more timeless- and timely- approach to the overall epidemic of bullying in schoolyard culture."

Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended

"...Under the direction of Sean Graney and choreography of Tommy Rapley, the playful style is like a nursery rhyme game. It seems like it’s all fun and games until you really listen to the words. Jacqueline Firkins conjures up the perfect wardrobe to focus on dresses. The girls’ dresses are marvelously vibrant 50’s style. Watching the cast change it up, certainly promotes clothing envy. Is it the costumes? Is it the singing? Is it the dancing? Is it the cast? There are probably over 100 reasons to see The Hundred Dresses. The most important one is ‘because doing nothing is the worst of all.’ As grown-ups, we need to act to stop the bullying in schools. An easy and entertaining way is to take a kid or two (or a classroom!) to this production, which helps kids learn important life lessons in an entertaining way. Go see it!"