Following are exerpts from some of the reviews:
Lennie MacPherson reviewing for the Guardian wrote:
“Johnson, the writer, has created a lush and intricate script. Johnson, the performer, commands the stage, while somewhow still maintaining an unassuming demeanor.
Her enthusiasm for the story emanates from every gesture, sweeping joyful strides and funny, anxious chatter.
It’s a remarkable theatre experience.”
Jack McAndrew writing for the Eastern Graphic wrote:
“There is no tell-all aspect to Ms. Brooke’s recollections. Avid gossip seekers should not attend. No dirt is shovelled out for public consumption. Clearly, if there was any eroticism in their relationship, it was on a very rarified and intellectual plane. Rather, we are simply allowed to peek in on a… curious relationship between an older man who happened to be a former Prime Minister and a younger woman; who discovered something in each other. We are left to wonder about the wonderful mystery of the human species, and what it is we can find in one another if we allow ourselves to try.
Brooke Johnson is a very skilled actress, playing the part of herself. That is very difficult to bring off. She does it; always nicely modulated and without a false note , never over the top, without exaggeration. Her mimicry of the Trudeau voice intonation is an accurate but affectionate mockery.
The production is sparse – she alone on a bare stage occupied only by a large armchair. That is all that is needed. Ms.Johnson, Pierre Trudeau, and the curious relationship between them, provide the rest.
It is more than enough. And you don’t need to be an old-time Liberal to enjoy it.
Cindy Lapena wrote for ONRPEI.ca
Brooke Johnson’s script and one-woman performance of TRUDEAU STORIES is a truly remarkable performance…It could have been any other man, it could even have been about a fictitious man, but the way Johnson captivated the audience with her words, her soft-spoken, gentle narrative, her almost pantomimic movements that flowed with the narrative–that is what made it a performance worth watching. I would definitely watch this again if only to listen to a brilliant story told by a masterful storyteller!