Reviews

"As for Raina, Ellen Adair makes her both foolish and adorable -- as she must be, if the play's to work at all. Initially her adulation of her affianced hero, Sergius, seems purely idiotic, but Adair gradually opens up the character to reveal unexpected layers of pretense and self-awareness. Raina has pretended to worship Sergius for so long that she believes her own act -- but she's also smart enough to see through it, and Adair, wonderfully, lets us see through it, too."
-Louise Kennedy, Boston Globe

"Ellen Adair plays Raina with such enthusiasm and appealing warmth that she draws us right into the play. Yet she also has the ability to capture the multiple facets of her character, including a sharp edge at times and the self-deception that she knowingly practices. ...the performances [are] top-notch, with the right shadings, and ... there [is] lively chemistry between the actors."
-David Brooks-Andrews, South Coast Today

"Ellen Adair is a spunky Raina, bouncing between her long-held girlish poses and her new understanding of military reality and her own heart."
-Carolyn Clay, Boston Phoenix

"Ellen Adair gives an exquisite performance as the sweet, deluded young woman who fantasizes about knights in bloody armor."
-Beverly Creasey, Theatre Mirror

"Young Raina Petkoff (Ellen Adair), daughter of a noble Bulgarian family, is thrilled to hear of her fiancee’s successes on the field of battle; she’s had some niggling doubts about the validity of concepts like patriotism and martial honor. ... Shaw’s tumultuous farce is given a tight and energetic reading by a talented cast. ...the time glides by in this delightful rendition of a 19th century masterpiece."
-Kilian Melloy, EDGEBoston

"The splendid nine member cast is in top form throughout, with high marks for Barlow Adamson as Bluntschli, Ellen Adair as Raina, Sarah Abrams as Louka, and James Ryen as the fatuously self-important Sergius."
-Norm Gross, PMP Network

"As Raina, Ellen Adair deftly handles Mr. Shaw’s dialogue and continues to be watchable as well as listenable --- even a growing chilliness is in sync with her playwright’s New Women. I first encountered Ms. Adair as Eliza Doolittle, three winters ago; thus, it is fitting that she bids Boston farewell, for now, as Raina, as she will be touring for a year with the American Shakespeare Center."
-Carl Rossi, Theatre Mirror

Images

Ellen Adair as Raina, Barlow Adamson as Captain Blutschli

James Ryen as Sergius, Ellen Adair

Ellen Adair, Barlow Adamson

Ellen Adair, Barlow Adamson

A very silly publicity photo
Barlow Adamson, Ellen Adair