Editor's Pick - The Washington Post - July 2010
By Nelson Pressley
Fringe Festival's 'Letters to Clio' tells of Argentina's disappeared
In "Letters to Clio -- Part II, Margarita," writer-performer Jennifer S. Jones is rigorous and efficient. In 55 minutes, she summarizes the agony of Argentina's "dirty war," the period in the 1970s and '80s when thousands of citizens suspected of subversion were abducted and "disappeared."
It's a lot to take on, but Jones concentrates it by assuming the role of a well-to-do woman named Margarita, whose cardigan, pearls and pulled-back hair suggest comfort and confidence. Without changing costume, Jones also voices the rest of the characters in this drama -- Margarita's husband, their daughter and the people Margarita encounters as her daughter disappears, shattering Margarita's tranquillity.
Jones's assured acting is cool and unforced, which puts the emphasis squarely on the fruits of her firsthand research. The story is based on interviews, and though this scenario is already deeply familiar, the aftershocks are still being hashed out, and Jones still feels it all urgently. The show is unabashed activism: Each playbill has a photo of one of the desaparecidos (the disappeared) on the back, with biographical details on the "Letters to Clio" Web site.
"Part II," which runs through July 24 at the low-ceilinged Bedroom in Fort Fringe, means this is a series chronicling women's issues around the world (Jones has already grappled with India and next turns her gaze to the Congo). This installment, with its combination of discipline and passion, suggests the ongoing project will be worth watching.
-- Nelson Pressley
All Arts Review 4 U - July 2010
http://www.allartsreview4u.com/
By Bob Anthony
"LETTERS TO CLIO-PART II, MARGARITA" is a one woman show by Jennifer S. Jones that presents the story of the military takeover of Argentina which originally offered hope to the downtrodden citizens but ended up with many young adults being arrested...for no apparent reason sometimes...and ending up as filler as the base of superhighways or thrown into the ocean. Even today after more than 30 years, their mothers continue a crusade to find out what crimes their children were charged with and where their bodies lie. There are many poignant moments in this story-telling as the actress truly lives the role of one of the mothers who lost a daughter. Ms. Jones has an elegance about her acting suggesting that it was not the usual underclass that suffers under such horrible political suppression. Director Jessica Lefkow's hands-on was obvious throughout with her perfect direction. (Reviewed by Bob Anthony)
Philadelphia Inquirer - September 5, 2002
"Letters to Clio - Part II Margarita"
They were the mothers of los desaparecidos, the disappeared. Demanding information about sons and daughters seized by Argentina's repressive military government from the mid-1980s into the 1990s, the mothers bravely marched weekly on the central plaza of Buenos Aires until the government fell.
It is the story of one of those women that local actress Jennifer S. Jones tells in Letters to Clio - Part II Margarita. A skillful and effective blend of historical fact and personal reaction to a terrible personal tragedy, Jones' dramatic monologue offers an engaging account of a woman evolving from passive domesticity to political activism, from despair over her beloved daughter's disappearance to defiance against those responsible for it.
Local actress Jones is an accomplished performer, and her portrayal of a fictional mother is nicely developed within the story, even if her Margarita often seems more American than Argentinian. Letters to Clio (the muse of history) is a proposed series of monologues about contemporary women and their struggles. Judging from this piece, Jones has embarked on a project that matches her talents as writer and actor.
- D. J. K.
Final performance tonight at 8. Brick Playhouse, 623 South St.
Illustration/Photo: Local actress Jennifer S. Jones plays an Argentinian activist.
Copyright (c) 2002 The Philadelphia Inquirer
Record Number: 7003827021