Critics love Kate Fry’s “spellbinding” Emily Dickinson
Since opening night on November 11, critics have been sharing their reviews of The Belle of Amherst.
In addition to being recommended by the Jeff Awards Committee, read what critics have been saying about the show:
“… [Kate] Fry inhabits Dickinson quite beautifully, with fidelity of accent, mind and heart and, when needed, a wink both welcoming and deliciously anarchic.”
–Chicago Tribune, 3 Stars
“Fry … possesses a magical inner light. Her emotional fire, sparkling intelligence, knowing wit, subdued beauty and modest yet blazing certitude is widely admired by Chicago audiences. … Fry has found a force to reckon with, and one whose innate nature and genius fits her like a glove.”
–Chicago Sun-Times, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
“…The Belle of Amherst is an intriguing and spellbinding production with a performance by Kate Fry that is memorable … The Court Theatre continues to bring relevant and worthwhile works to the community and this one should not be missed!”
–Around The Town Chicago, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
“…If what you remember of Emily Dickinson from high school literature is that she was a spinster recluse who wrote free verse poetry about death, you will be happy to know that at the Court Theatre, you will be spending time with a much different Dickinson. This one imagined herself to be The Belle of Amherst.”
–Chicago Theater and Arts, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
“Court Theatre’s staging of William Luce’s The Belle of Amherst is so remarkably refreshing. … If a one-woman production based on the words and ways of Emily Dickinson sounds a bit staid, you haven’t seen Kate Fry. In between baking rhubarb cupcakes, quoting from the Springfield Republican, and gossiping about her schoolgirl days at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, Fry recites Dickinson’s own words with unfailing gusto.”
–The Point
“With a sensational performance by Kate Fry and wonderfully exuberant direction from Sean Graney, this Belle of Amherst shows a delightful Emily Dickinson full of life, imagination, great joy, and phosphorescence.”
-Performink
“Artfully directed by Sean Graney, Fry is delightfully engaging, embracing the beauty of nature, life’s complexity and our curiosity for and about Dickinson’s work.”
-PICKSINSIX
“Kate Fry, who plays Emily Dickinson, brilliantly gives the poet life, pulling in the audience immediately with a subtle peek through the fourth wall.”
-South Side Weekly
Want a sneak peek? Check out a short scene from The Belle of Amherst:
Photo of Kate Fry by Michael Brosilow.