←Recommendations of A Poison Squad of Whispering Women

Klan dominance of Indiana in the 1920s lends itself to drama. (I've written two plays on the subject myself.) McBurnette-Andronicos has taken recognizable personalities and events from that era and completely reworked them into a brand-new story centering on the Klan affiliations (or not) of five fictional women in a small-town boarding house. The play is dramatic and emotional and the tension keeps ratcheting up to an explosive conclusion. The Indiana local color is spot on and the youngest woman's flapper slang is hilarious. Great work with juicy roles for women of all ages. (Caution: don't eat the pie.)

2022-23 Salon Reading Series Selection

Andronicos adeptly weaves a thread between historical fiction and contemporary allusion in A Poison Squad of Whispering Women. While the politics and divisions of a small Indiana town in 1924 may seem distant, the language of generational misunderstanding and community protectionism is eerily familiar. It is easy to imagine Andronicos's characters speaking in 2023, particularly with regards to whisper campaigns (or perhaps social media campaigns) and their effectiveness in a divide-and-conquer strategy. By shining a light on the complexity of our world, the play ultimately serves to remind us that there are no easy answers.

This full length play about a group of women who take on the Grand Dragon is great! The women are complex and surprising, and I loved watching the story unfold.

Exceptionally well-written, plunged in secrets, twists, and the inescapable gravity of its historical reality. The dialogue demands close attention, in the layers of its plot, in the depth and complexities of each character, and in the sheer skill of the writing. And that attention is rewarded with an exhilarating ending.

A riveting political plot unfolds as these fierce women rise up against the KKK and corruption with bravery and tenacity! Well done.

This play is well constructed and captivating. Aside from shedding light on history of which I was totally unaware, its presentation of the politics and social dynamics that gave rise to the Women's Klan in the 1920s has strong resonance with current events. The language is vivid and memorable and the characters are surprising in all the right ways. The intersection of emerging feminism and xenophobic and racist views would seem unlikely. Yet Andronicus deftly weaves them together to present characters that are enigmatic, flawed, and very human. Our audience loved this piece. Still talking about it a week later.

The storm clouds in Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos' political dark comedy start massing right from the beginning, gathering force throughout the play until everything explodes in a brutal tornado of tragic consequences. Riveting stuff from start to finish, with big, juicy roles for 5 women.

In Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos's brilliant play, these women do a lot more than whisper. The Ku Klux Klan, political corruption, and the coming age of the flappers all collide in 1924 Indiana when organized women become a force to be reckoned with. An exciting, fast-moving story and a great read!

McBurnette-Andronicos’s thrilling play has a lot to say about how our current political situation can be traced through the country’s history. Her portrait of a town with a normalized KKK presence is chilling and effortlessly convincing. Yet again, I have to remark on the writer’s incredible feel for language in the dialogue. How she is able to convey the rhythms and peculiarities of American English from a century ago is beyond me. The use of antiquated slang always feels authentic, yet the characters are so real I never feel like I’m reading a period piece.

Kelly does a tremendous job of drawing us completely into this world, transporting the audience into a completely different place. I loved that the language added flavor to the characters, location and time period without ever feeling stilted or forced. This play is a fascinating look at a group of women involved in such an abhorrent organization and she laid down just enough clues that left me feeling smug while alos biting my nails to figure out what was coming next.