Gleam Reviews

Baltimore Sun- Recommended

"... In the end, Rattner’s ambitious realization of an honored novel commands more respect than affection, as does the Center Stage production. But it is well worth being reminded of this slice of American life, with its universal values, failings and desires. There is many a truth, many a lesson to be gleaned from “Gleam.”"

MD Theatre Guide- Recommended

"...It is a powerful thing to watch the life of a woman unfold – as she goes through marriage after marriage to find her place in the scheme of things – each man defining her until and changing her until the woman that started the journey is no longer the woman that ends the journey. A strong moving revived work comes to Centerstage from playwright Bonnie Lee Moss Rattne - Gleam adapted from Zora Neale Hurston’s beloved novel Their Eyes Were Watching God."

DCTheatreScene- Highly Recommended

oh my, what a journey awaits. Set in the Florida Everglades in the early 1900’s, the tale opens with town folk bustling about on everyday chores, mending fences, weeding gardens, and hauling bushels of produce. Janie is spotted dragging her tired, dusty self down the road in torn up mud-spattered overalls, a far cry from her prosperous attire when she strutted out of town just a spell ago.

BroadwayWorld- Somewhat Recommended

"... If the opening night audience at CENTERSTAGE is any indication, my response to Gleam—Bonnie Lee Moss Rattner’s adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God—is well in the minority. I can understand people’s enthusiasm for the play; I can appreciate the labor of love that brought it to life—from Rattner, from director Marion McClinton, from the cast and crew—but at the end of the evening and throughout, I was not much moved."