Cassandra Redding as Woolley and Brittany Trexler as Marks. Photo by Aaron Skolnik.
Mary Woolley isn’t exactly a well-known historical figure. Most would be hard-pressed to say who she was. Still, her life and legacy make for absolutely fascinating theatrical material. In playwright Bryna Turner’s capable hands and produced by The Montgomery Playhouse, Mary Woolley’s story, as it unfolds in “Bull in a China Shop,” proves a delightful yet searing look at the one-time Mount Holyoke president’s penchant for “getting things done” in the name of women’s equality while also examining the more difficult personal struggle she faced as a lesbian in early 20th century America.
…both entertaining and highly informative.
The play begins as Woolley considers leaving her professorial post at Wellesley College for a bold new endeavor. The allure of a potential presidency at the flagging women’s college, Mount Holyoke, is too good for an ambitious Woolley to pass up. Her partner, and former student, Jeannette Marks accompanies Wooley to her new venture and is immediately installed as an English professor. It is a move that leads to rampant rumors and assumptions by faculty and students alike.
Like any couple, the pair experiences growing pains as the adjustment to Woolley’s newfound power and Marks’ initial unhappiness present exceptional hurdles. Given that they are a lesbian couple at the turn of the 20th century with no way of “being” other than through clandestine midnight kisses and stolen moments in obscure hiding places, Marks and Woolley’s relationship often seems shaky at best.
Covering the entirety of Woolley’s three-plus-decade tenure at Mount Holyoke, the show offers glimpses of American women’s history from 1900 to the late 1930s. Suffragism (according to this play, Woolley is only on board at Marks’ prompting), the reformation of women’s education, and the simmering world tensions leading up to World War II all factor into the life and times of Mary Emma Woolley. Then of course, there is her relationship with Jeannette Marks. Turner’s focus on how the women connect and/or fall apart, depending on the circumstances of the moment, bridges quite effectively with the historical upheavals of the day. Relationships don’t exist in a vacuum, and same-sex relationships especially, Turner seems to say, must play with and against the social, political, and cultural “norms” that can threaten their very existence.
It is a good play choice for today’s climate. Student protests, questions surrounding women’s rights, and historically-situated and universally applicable LGTBQ+ issues prove anything but anachronistic. The Montgomery Playhouse production is both entertaining and highly informative. While the pauses and jostling of scene changes may not have been necessary with a more practical look at reinventing the set design here, the overall flow and tempo work well.
Vanessa Markowitz’s direction smartly speaks to the time period without sacrificing a more modern overall theatrical vibe. The cast is to be commended for their insightful portrayals and interpretations of characters whose struggles were in many ways foundational to the women’s movement in America. As Woolley, Cassandra Redding is a powerful presence with whom you can become easily frustrated and yet, for whom you also want to fight. Brittany Trexler brings the intensity as Marks, an initially hapless professor who is sick and tired of being closeted and yet has no real alternative. The revelation for me is Jennifer Flores as Pearl. Her dry sense of humor and wonderful drollness are brilliantly delivered. I can easily see her becoming a force in the DMV theatre scene. As the lower-key Felicity, Briana Craig serves as a nice foil to Marks’ fervent nature while Rachel Schlaff’s Dean Welch is the perfect conformist with a hidden rebel heart. A nod also goes to Rachel Grant Smith’s costume design—the rainbow accessories are whimsically satisfying.
While perhaps an understated play in some ways, “Bull in a China Shop” certainly has big feelings. Those feelings are critically important for women, lesbians, colleges, and those whose voices need to be heard.
Running Time: One hour and 30 minutes with no intermission.
“Bull in a China Shop” runs through June 22, 2025 presented by The Montgomery Playhouse at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn, 311 Kent Square Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20878. For more information and to purchase tickets, please go online.
