Review: 12 OPHELIAS (A PLAY WITH BROKEN SONGS) at The Factory Theater

Is change possible? That is the underlying question of 12 OPHELIAS (A PLAY WITH BROKEN SONGS), written by Caridad Svich and directed by Strawdog co-artistic director, Kamille Dawkins. In a mirrored world from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, 12 OPHELIAS features familiar characters reimagined in a new light and given new life. 

A resurrected Ophelia (Tierra Matthews) opens the 90-minute play emerging out of the water, gasping for breath into a moving monologue that has the familiar cadence and rhythm of Shakespeare plays, but with a subtle Appalachian drawl and slightly more modern syntax and vocabulary. As she gains her bearings in this new Appalachian setting, she tries to reconcile her old life and the painful path she knows with the desire to control her own destiny. Matthews transforms this character that Shakespeare threw to the wayside into a woman with depth and agency, becoming her own person as she struggles against fate itself to rewrite her story.

When she stumbles upon Rude Boy (Dryden Zurawski), he has a suave cockiness to his walk and a smolder that could kill, but throughout the play, we see him work through layers of personal demons that warp his sense of love and self. Zurawski does a great job of displaying that tender confusion and vulnerability as he works to reject his past and embrace his future, while being stuck in a present he doesn’t fully understand.

R (Jillian Leff) and G (Jared Sprowls) act as our trusted commentators and guardians of memory, helping both the audience and Ophelia make sense of this world through pointed observations, moments of levity, and playful banter (and even an enjoyable song and dance). H (Rafael Gray López) also offers a masculine, comedic foil to Rude Boy, engaging in a number of tussles as boys often do. 

At the end of the day, this is a story of modern women setting their own charge, and Gertrude (Eileen Dixon) and Mina (Molly Kempfer) move through this cold world with strength, confidence, and power in order to do what it takes to survive. Dixon and Kempfer both offer powerful portrayals of mighty women in their own right who look out for their own and help pull Ophelia out of the past and into the present so she can start to build her future. 

Broken songs with the timbre of haunting Appalachian melodies throughout usually act as a transition between scenes, each character having their chance to sing reflections, yearnings, and everything in between. These brief yet stirring songs are a standout element of the production with a cast that can sing with such controlled yet heartfelt emotion, particularly Zurawski’s first enticing song as Rude Boy and Dixon’s chilling song as Gertrude. 

The Factory Theater’s black box theater (home to all future Strawdog Theatre Company productions) creates an intimate and enchanting neo-Elizabethan Appalachian setting, where Lighting Designer Ellie Humphrys and Scenic Designer Rose Johnson immerse you in Ophelia’s world. 

There are multiple references to the story we are mostly all familiar with (and even a scene acted out as a fractured memory, but fear that, for if you are unfamiliar or have forgotten most of Hamlet, Shakespearean knowledge is not required to enjoy this production), calling into question what is in a name, what is our nature, and what is in our control. In a world where a Rude Boy will be rude and women will be wronged, Ophelia eventually breaks from her familiar patterns and forges her own life. 

With every breath, every line, every broken song, 12 OPHELIAS is a riveting play executed with heart, humor, and depth that leaves you thinking about fate, purpose, the memories we hold, the paths carved out for us, and our power to change our story. 

The final production of Strawdog’s 38th season runs from April 17 - May 24, 2026. Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3pm at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St. Chicago, IL 60626. Tickets are sliding scale between $10-$80 and can be purchased at the link below.

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