Laura and Samara spend their days as non-profit unicorns and fill every spare minute exploring the world of musical theatre as BFFs (that’s Broadway Friends Forever). Follow @bffs613 on Instagram and Facebook.
Silent Sky, written by Lauren Gunderson, brings us the “almost-true” story of the women who worked in the early days of astronomy and are fundamental to our collective understanding of the cosmos. Three Sisters Theatre Co. focuses on telling meaningful stories about women—and this is a great one.
Silent Sky follows the life and career of Henrietta Leavitt, whose fascination with the universe drives her ambition to study the stars. After receiving a job offer at the “girls section” of the Harvard Observatory, Henrietta moves to Boston and begins tracking stars with her inspiring colleagues Annie Cannon and Williamina Fleming. As she strives for the subsequent big discovery, it proves to be more difficult than she anticipated, both scientifically and as a woman in science.
Photo by Maria Vartanova
As our first Three Sisters Theatre Co. production, we were excited to see how they would bring this story to life. The sets and costuming fit the early 1900s setting and offered a simplicity that elevated the production through minimal set changes, but smooth transitions when they arose. The music and lighting brought a powerful impact to the pacing, moving the story along steadily, keeping the audience engaged through each moment and highlighting those infamous stars.
We were continuously wowed by the acting in this production. Melissa Raftis, as Henrietta Leavitt, was strong, and full of character and humour. Fellow astronomers Cindy Beaton as Williamina Flemming and Robin Guy as Annie Cannon provide the perfect balance to Leavitt and highlight each woman’s passions, challenges and personalities in the Harvard Observatory.
Kaylee Ross as Margaret Leavitt highlights the differences between the Leavitt sisters. Following her own life passions and direction, you can see the weight she carries in the family dynamic as well as the love and sisterly bond between Henrietta and Margaret. Ray Burrage-Goodwin is loveable as Peter Shaw, often a breath of comedic relief. His dynamic with each of the women is different, bringing a powerful chemistry between each character.
Photo by Maria Vartanova
It’s not surprising these performances were so fantastic when the actors had such great material to work with. Each character is multifaceted and fully developed, which isn’t always the case, especially with female characters in theatre. Whether or not you have a personal fascination with astronomy, the story is approachable, relatable and exciting—not to mention comedic. Leavitt, Fleming and Williamina are smart, funny and sarcastic and their passion for the stars is contagious. Though not a biography, the story inspired by the real Henrietta Leavitt highlights the impact her discovery made in measuring the universe and the innovations her discovery continues to lead to today.
Under it all, Silent Sky is a story about fighting for equality, opportunity, and passion, and how one light in the sky can lead to billions of stars. We have no doubt this will stand out as one of our favourite productions of 2025, we can guarantee this is one you won’t want to miss!
Three Sisters’ production of Silent Sky plays at The Gladstone until March 29. Tuesday through Saturday evening performances are at 7:30pm, and Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2:30pm. There’s a student matinee on Wednesday at 11am. On March 22, there will be a conversation from 4:30-5:30pm with astronomy experts, included with your ticket. Tuesday is pay what you can. For at-the-door sales only, if you come with your sister the second ticket is half price, and scientists who come in lab coats get 15% off. The show runs approximately two hours with intermission. Tickets range from $24 to $75.
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