The Parchman Hour
Guthrie Theatre
Star Tribune- Highly Recommended
"...By the usual standards of theater, Mike Wiley's "The Parchman Hour," which opened Friday at the Guthrie, is powerful and moving. Director Patricia McGregor sweeps us up in her vivid depiction of this story of Freedom Riders who helped desegregate interstate transportation in the South. Her staging of the violence that they met is more implied than actual, so that we fill in the horror with our imaginations. She also touchingly frames the protesters' resolve as they nonviolently sought to make America a just and beloved community."
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Rohan Preston
Twin Cities Pioneer Press- Highly Recommended
"..."The Parchman Hour" is a lesson in civics and a linkage to current events well worth experiencing (though parents wondering about age-appropriateness should note that the show includes a couple minutes of dimly lit, nonsexual nudity). Its lessons and its messages are urgent, relevant and - sadly - still crucially necessary."
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Dominic Papatola
Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended
"...Parchman Hour, which opened last weekend at the Guthrie, is a riveting history lesson, a searing re-enactment of 55-year-old events from which we are still reeling today, and a testament to the courage of the Freedom Riders: men and woman, both black and white, who faced white hooded Klan members, fire-bombing, police dogs, beatings and imprisonment, all to push for justice and human dignity. It is also, improbably, entertaining, mainly by way of heart-felt music and sharply staged dance; it even manages to deliver some laughs here and there, albeit of the gallows humor variety. That The Parchman Hour suffers some shortcomings as a coherently scripted play hardly matters when there is so much compelling drama on stage, performed with soaring spirit and unflinching conviction."
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Arthur Dorman
Twin Cities Arts Reader- Recommended
"...Director McGregor has assembled a very talented ensemble with each actor taking on various roles including roles of different genders and races. Zonya Love’s spirituals are amazing each time she sings. Other performers including Cat Brindisi and Stephen Conrad Moore also provide some touching musical moments in the play."
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Bev Wolfe
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