Mary Rose
Black Button Eyes Productions

A World Premiere
Joseph Jefferson (“Jeff”) Award Recommended
Jeff Award Nomination, 2012-2022 season, Best New Work

Original Cast Recording now available on all major platforms! Click here to download!
To license a production (full orchestration materials available!) please use the ‘Contact’ link above.

Reviews for Mary Rose
“The acting and singing reign supreme in this musical. Every one of the characters has an excellent singing voice, each one better than the next. Every moment is bright and interesting…the Scottish/English-based story is resurrected excellently via acting, music and song with the technical aspects and accoutrements executed extremely well.”
-Julia Rath, Around the Town Chicago

“A delightfully clever ninety-minute production…Singing these songs is a very talented cast that always appear in sync with one another…Mary Rose is a very impressive new musical.”
-Noel Schecter, Chicago Splash Magazine

“A charming, magical theatrical treat, a perfect way to begin the New Year...beautiful, alluring…this highly anticipated, magically mesmerizing musical adaptation of Sir James M. Barrie’s forgotten play is simply enchanting. Yes, ‘Mary Rose’ really is that good.”
-Colin Douglas, Chicagoland Theatre Review

”This is a show that needs to be seen…the terrific material here has the makings of a musical that moves an audience from every quarter to fall in love with it…the lyrics were delightful throughout.”
-Aaron Hunt, New City Stage

”There are some lovely songs here and the cast features a couple of excellent singers (most notable Kevin Webb)... Here’s a company that has managed to get up an intriguing new musical in the pandemic; born and raised up in Chicago, it’s worth your support.”
-Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

“The musical, of course, belongs to Mary Rose, and [Stephanie] Stockstill, another BBE regular, wears the part like a fine petticoat. She trills like a nightingale, is both credibly innocent and menacing, and injects just the right amount of that old-school declamatory style without tipping into archness…Rutherford and Bouthiette’s adaption give it a magic sparkle.”
-Patrick O’Brien, Chicagoland Musical Theatre

”A curious and engaging fantasy, by turns whimsical, melancholy, and macabre…Rutherford and Bouthiette have trimmed Barrie’s three-act drama into an economical 90-minute one-act…[Rutherford] has assembled an able cast, with two excellent singing actors, Stephanie Stockstill and Kevin Webb…besides their fine voices, their emotional authenticity brings gravity.”
-Albert Williams, Chicago Reader

”As Mary Rose, Stephanie Stockstill shifts between sparkle and portent, making it easy to feel her loved ones’ pain when she leaves them. In addition to vocal power, Stockstill and the rest of the cast bring naturalness to the plot’s supernatural and melodramatic turns.”
-Susan Lieberman, Picture This Post

“An excellent ghost story…there are many enticing moments here. Visually, the play works very well, and the ensemble makes it even better…the stories and performances are indeed wonderful…”
-Karen Topham, Chicago On Stage

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