The Death and Life of Mary Jo Kopechne Reviews
Broadway World- Recommended
"...Combining magical realism, sharp wit, and compassion for its heroine, THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARY JO KOPECHNE reminds us that she was a woman whose life mattered, and not merely a footnote in the story of a prominent and powerful man during a time when the world was changing at an astounding pace."
Will Call- Highly Recommended
"...This fairytale sustains our interest, even though we remember how it all played out. Ted Kennedy never realized his, or rather the Kennedy Clan's Presidential ambitions. He remained in the Senate and became a respected elder statesman until his death."
Hollywood Progressive- Somewhat Recommended
"...Your response to this play will likely be determined by how you feel about the characters. The depictions of Trotsky, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Lefcourt's similarly styled The Assassination of Leon Trotsky: A Comedy was genuinely despicable and odious to admirers of the Russian revolutionary and/or Mexican daubers. (The title of the play, which I also saw at the Odyssey Theatre, says it all - Lefcourt thinks smashing an icepick into somebody's skull is a laughing matter.)"
Stage Raw- Somewhat Recommended
"...It is hard to ascertain what Lefcourt is trying to say. He states in the program that the play is "an attempt to give her a voice and to restore to her, if only posthumously, the life that was so abruptly taken from her." But the story focuses more on the cover-up than it does on Kopechne."
Haines His Way- Somewhat Recommended
"...Lefcourt doesn't add anything new to the well-known Kennedy lore and the first act seems much longer than it is because of all the old baggage. He also extends the act a few beats after Kopechne's surprise arrival with some unnecessary dialogue. It would be a much better cliffhanger to just leave the wet woman in the ghost light and go to blackout. Unfortunately the Kopechne character doesn't have much to add either and it basically becomes a will she or won't she co-operate scenario. Eventually all is decided upon to benefit Ted's career and all the ghosts disappear before he calls the police."