The Wonder Reviews

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Creating a pervasive, unsettled tone is difficult for live theater, and Valdes and Nguyen are strong mirrors of one another that portray their heavenly linkage with nuance and engaging otherworldliness (all under Gaby Labotka’s capable direction). We’re not quite sure if the possession is real, and that uncertainty leads to further reflection on faith and what it means to process grief."

Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended

"...The characters and events of the Watseka Wonder have inspired several stories, books, films and at least one other play. Critics reviewing the case dispute the authenticity of it being a true supernatural event, citing epilepsy as the probable affliction of Rancy Vennum. But in Maggie Lou Rader's play she captures one's desperation when dealing with an unknown or untreatable illness. She also faithfully depicts the indescribable agony and sorrow a parent undergoes when burying a child. Tempered by the vaporous paranormal presence of ghosts and spirits, and the promise of life after death, Eclectic Full Contact Theatre's first production since the pandemic is a tenuous, thought-provoking journey to the Other Side."

Third Coast Review - Somewhat Recommended

"...The fact-based story set in 19th century Watseka, Illinois, is the first reported occurrence of spiritual possession in the midwest; it's the tragedy of a family whose teenaged daughter slips into a catatonic spirit life-and eventually dies. Mary Roth (played by Tina-Kim Nguyen) is a talented pianist but succumbs despite constant and concerned treatment by her parents and a Peoria doctor at a hospital referred to-of course-as an insane asylum. The treatments provided include bleeding by leeches and cutting, and the horrific "water cure.""