Review Roundup: THEY PROMISED HER THE MOON at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley - What Did the Critics Think?

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents the Northern California Premiere of Laurel Ollstein's They Promised Her the Moon. This riveting play shares the incredible, true story of Jerrie Cobb, a world record-holding female aviator who dreamt of flying among the stars. At the height of the Space Race, Cobb and her female peers in the Mercury 13 program trained to become astronauts, ready to join their male counterparts in space and change history, but they never got the chance.

They Promised Her the Moon is directed by TheatreWorks Artistic Associate and Director of New Works Giovanna Sardelli. They Promised Her The Moon will be presented March 4 - 29, 2020 at the Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto.

Let's see what the critics are saying...

Steve Murray, BroadwayWorld: They Promised Her the Moon is educational, historically important and hugely entertaining. Every element and detail are captured perfectly and in such a nurturing atmosphere, amazing theatre is created.

David John Chavez, Mercury News: TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's stellar production of "They Promised Her the Moon" is a highly stylized piece featuring a terrific script penned by Laurel Ollstein, directed with intricacy and texture by Giovanna Sardelli. The script delves into the compelling legacy of Cobb, a woman who was too driven to be limited by the earth she treads upon.

Steven Winn, Datebook: Everything fits snugly into place, right down to the actors' crisp line deliveries and the hair-trigger space and time management onstage. That's both the well-engineered appeal and the self-limiting liability of the evening. The characters make their presence felt in crystal-clear ways and then keep repeating what they've already said and shown us. The dialogue is studded with homilies and nuggets of pat wisdom: "Women know isolation better than anyone." "I never ask questions that get no for an answer." "Leave the stratosphere to the men."