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Expectations by Jennifer O'Grady

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Recommendations

  • John Minigan:
    2 Dec. 2023
    “ This play is devastating in its power, its simplicity, and its strength. As her first line says, Kate is not known to us, but she should be. Kudos to O'Grady for giving her a clear and heartbreaking voice, and for showing a side of a "great man" too few know. ”
  • Morey Norkin:
    28 Feb. 2023
    “ I had the pleasure of recently seeing a Zoom production of this excellent piece. Now reading it, I again marvel how this seemingly simple structure so perfectly tells this little known, heartbreaking story. Charles Dickens was no Bob Cratchett. Far from it. How sad for Kate Dickens. Thank you, Jennifer O’Grady for bringing this story to life! ”
  • Claudia Haas:
    9 Feb. 2023
    “ O’Grady has a gift for making history come alive in the present. Expectations does that and beautifully. Set in the past but could be today, it is yet another example of the power that men yield and what women do to survive. Do you think you know Charles Dickens? Think again. ”
  • Hannah Lee DeFrates:
    8 Feb. 2023
    “ I've never liked Dickens' portrayal of women and this play has opened my eyes to the story behind the stories, the story I never knew before. After reading this piece I am filled with chills and so much devastation for Kate and the innocence and faithfulness and hope she was forced to throw away. #JusticeforKate ”
  • Debra A. Cole:
    8 Feb. 2023
    “ Wow. I was not familiar with this story, but JENNIFER O'GRADY's retelling is both powerful and painful. The grace and confusion just under Katie's narration will chill audiences. The arrogance and child-like betrayal is front and center with the literary God the is Charles Dickens. What a stellar choice EXPECTATIONS would be for any festival or collection. ”
  • Lee R. Lawing:
    8 Feb. 2023
    “ Reading this can only infuriate to the edge of insanity--the way it was for women back in their day, and for so many women still in this world in 2023. Dickens in all of his self-importance the way so many men were (and sadly still are). Trapped by that law of marriage yet one which is so easy to toss aside and toss into the fire like your notes for your latest novel which is a bleak house indeed. ”
  • John Mabey:
    18 Mar. 2022
    “ The structure of this play is thrilling and the dialogue so poetic. In EXPECTATIONS, Jennifer O'Grady reveals the underexplored and fascinating relationship of Charles Dickens and his wife Kate Dickens. Poignant, gripping, and so moving, this is a play that will stay with you long after their story ends. ”
  • Arianna Rose:
    18 Mar. 2022
    “ Reading - and seeing - a Jennifer O'Grady play is always a treat. Whether it's thought-provoking, confrontational, funny or romantic, they are all well-crafted to a T and enormously affecting. EXPECTATIONS is no exception. The sparseness of the language, the rhythm and pace of this short play, belie the layers and layers of sadness, betrayal and angst. Playwright O'Grady masterfully leaves those spaces for the audience to use their imagination and has created an incredibly satisfying play. MY expectations were more than met! ”
  • Jack Seamus Conley:
    18 Mar. 2022
    “ A moving, thoughtful, and simply staged (to excellent effect) story about a fascinating pair of people and their little-explored marriage (and legal separation). In Expectations, Charles and Kate Dickens come to life in believable ways that, despite being alive long ago, continue to resonate today. Excellent work! ”
  • Alexander Perez:
    13 Jan. 2022
    “ A lovely piece that pushes the heights of the "less is more" philosophy that drives the heart of every successful short. Not only does this piece bring to life previously unknown (to me anyway) historical information, it also serves as a heart wrenching tale of betrayal, dismissal, and reconciling past hopes with the bleak reality that follows. ”

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