The Ballad of Little Jo

Two River Theater
in

Guest Review

The remarkable new musical, The Ballad of Little Jo, tells the reimagined story of the real woman, Little Jo Monaghan.  The limited facts of her story are best captured in the playbill:  “When the well-liked rancher Jo Monaghan died in 1904 of pneumonia at the age of 56, his death was mourned by many in his town of Rockville, Idaho. Although he was quiet and kept mostly to himself, he had developed a reputation in his 37 years in the area as a good man and a hard worker. As his body was prepared for burial, a secret was revealed: “Little Jo” was a woman."

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The Women of Padilla

Two River Theater
in

Guest Review

Let me preface my review with this: I loved the play. I feel compelled to write about The Women of Padilla because it moved me, and I want to encourage others to be moved as well. I hesitate because the play is delicate, and I am afraid that my words will weigh it down and obscure that lovely feature. In the world presented by playwright, Tony Meneses, we meet the ad hoc family, fitfully created. Women left behind after their husbands - eight brothers - have left for a mysterious, yet sadly familiar war.

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