Theatrius
  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us
  • Search Icon

Theatrius

Theater Reviews—San Francisco and Beyond

“Silent Sky” Inspires and Informs, at Ross Valley Players

“Silent Sky” Inspires and Informs, at Ross Valley Players

January 22, 2020 Hannah Yurke

Lauren Gunderson Celebrates Pioneer Woman Astronomer 

by Hannah Yurke     

Bring your daughters to see “Silent Sky,” an inspiring tale of pioneering female astronomers. Set between 1910 and 1920, “Sky” portrays the life and work of Henrietta Leavitt, an astrophysicist who follows her passion all the way to a job at Harvard, at a time when few women were even employed.

Henrietta Leavitt leaves her father, her newly engaged sister, and her family farm in Wisconsin for a job with Edward Pickering, Director of the Harvard College Observatory. Once there, she learns women are forbidden from doing research or touching the telescope. She’s relegated to cataloging stars with two other women, jokingly referred to as Pickering’s Harem.

Pamela Ciochetti, Isabelle Grimm, Rachel Kayhan. Photos by Robin Jackson

Williamina Fleming (Pamela Ciochetti) and Annie Jump Cannon (Rachel Kayhan) become her close colleagues. Fleming and Cannon engage us with sparkling, witty banter, contributing fresh comedy. When Henrietta wonders at their minimal roles, Cannon reflects, “We do the work required of us, and laugh at men behind their backs.” Williamina adds, “It’s worked for centuries.”

Pickering is so removed from his female “‘computers,”’ as they were known, we never meet him. Peter Shaw (Peter Warden), Pickering’s unimaginative ‘yes’ man, admits: “My father pulled a lot of strings to get me this position,” earning our contempt for his pompous privilege.

Later, we warm to Shaw, as he slips from contempt of Henrietta to admiration and feelings of romance. In one compelling scene, when Shaw and Leavitt find themselves alone in the observatory, the romantic tension thrills.

Peter Warden and Rachel Kahan

They have a universe to contemplate, after all, which makes for romantic dialogue. We see Shaw’s humble side and Henrietta’s vulnerable side, warming us to them.  But Leavitt’s commitment to her work, and her family, leads her to a crossroads, where she has to choose between love and labor.

Gunderson wonderfully simplifies astrophysics. When Leavitt discovers a connection between the pulsing of stars and their distant locations, she discovers the revolutionary idea that our universe is still expanding. As Leavitt, Isabelle Grimm does an engaging job of playing the astronomer’s genial brilliance, although I feel her unerringly optimistic portrayal could use some more lower key moments.

Alicia Piemme Nelson plays her sister Margaret Leavitt with depth and empathy, smoothly changing from overwhelmed and desperate to Henrietta’s stoic supporter.

Chiochetti and Kayhan steal the show as Henrietta’s tart tongued, witty star-cataloguing colleagues.

Isabelle Grimm and Rachel Kayhan

Ronald Krempetz’s impressive set with wooden boards depicting the farm, unexpectedly opens out to reveal the vast observatory. And where would a play about the universe be, without star projections? Needless to say, this production delivers.

Chloe Bronzan directs a solid and cohesive production, although heated exchanges can spike to melodrama, suddenly. Bronzan’s strength lies in pulling out nuances and subtleties from her actors.

With her portrait of Leavitt, playwright Lauren Gunderson compares breaking the boundaries of women’s work to expanding the boundaries of the universe. Gunderson shows us that one woman’s passion for science and arts can have far reaching consequences–and may even change the world.

An educational and entertaining play that leaves me inspired. Highly recommended.

Isabelle Grimm and Peter Warden

“Silent Sky” by Lauren Gunderson, directed by Chloe Bronzan, by Ross Valley Players, Ross, California, through Sunday, February 9, 2020. Info: rossvalleyplayers.com

Cast: Isabelle Grimm, Alicia Piemme Nelson, Pamela Ciochetti, Rachel Kayhan, and Peter Warden.


Plays
Civil Rights, feminism, friendship, Identity, love, patriarchy, politics, power, Science, social class, Women's Rights, workers

Post navigation

NEXT
“How to Transcend a Happy Marriage” Releases Our Wild Side, at Custom Made, S.F.
PREVIOUS
“Noura” Embodies U.S.-Iraqui Conflict, at MTC, Mill Valley
Comments are closed.

Menu

  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us

BLM

Black Lives Matter

Subscribe for upcoming reviews!
Loading

Current Shows

  • “ELF, The Musical”: A Rollicking Christmas Adventure—at Los Altos
  • “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” Casts a Spell—at TheatreWorks
  • “Lion King”: A Spectacular Safari into African Legend —at BroadwaySF
  • “Dragon Lady” Triumphs with Talent, Stories, Songs—at Marin
  • “East 14th: True Tales of a Reluctant Player”—at The Marsh, Berkeley
  • “Guys and Dolls” Shows Love Is a Gamble, Takes the Risk—at S.F. Playhouse
  • “Harry Clarke”: A Cocksure Character Invades Privileged Places—at Berkeley Rep
  • “Group Therapy”: Hilarious Gay Club for Almost-40s—at Rhino
  • “1984” Reveals Torture Room We Inhabit Now–at Aurora
  • Interview with “Mame” on 42nd Street Moon Show
  • “Citizen” Unfolds Worker’s Awakening to U.S. Cruelty—at Word4Word
  • “The Legend of Georgia McBride”: Sass & Sentiment—at Center REP
  • “Hedwig & The Angry Inch” Highlights Betrayal, Redemption—at Shotgun
  • “Mame” Showcases Musical Memories, Found Families—at 42nd St. Moon  
  • “we are continuous”: Brilliant, Heroic, Comic Coming Out—at NCTC

About us:

If you want to see the best plays & performances around the San Francisco Bay or beyond, read our reviews. We promise to give you a true report on the best shows.
Bay Area Critics Circle

Barry David Horwitz, Editor of Theatrius, is a Voting Member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle, SFBATCC. Follow us on: facebook.com

© 2023   All Rights Reserved.