Word on the Street is...

• JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE--Martha Loomis (Shariba Rivers skillfully inhabits her with both a sense of obligation and a feeling of dread), Herald’s wife, who is finally found after all the years of separation --Ronald Keaton, PickInSix Review, Conversations with Ed Tracy
• JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE--...the religious and lovely Martha Pentecost makes an eleventh hour appearance as a strong, self-sufficient woman. She’s played with spitfire and spunk by the always wonderful Shariba Rivers. --Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review
• JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE--Martha is well played by Shariba Rivers. --Alan Bresloff, Around the Town Chicago
• NOTES FROM THE FIELD--Early on, Rivers showcases her masterful artistry, delivering one of the most heart-wrenching and powerful moments of the play—a eulogy at the funeral of Freddie Gray from Pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant. She fully embodies Bryant, a leader desperately grasping for words of comfort for a grieving mother and community, stumbling through respectability politics and scripture before inexplicably discovering triumph and some measure of solace in the most unimaginable place. It is an exquisite and devastating moment in a painful play that reminds the faithless amongst us why faith exists in the first place: to comfort the countless who might otherwise never ever be comforted in their lifetime. --Sheri Flanders, Chicago Reader
• NOTES FROM THE FIELD--Rivers is a Yurok fisherman in orange waders, talking about his prison years, and in another scene becomes the Reverend Jamal Harrison Bryant, eulogizing Freddie Gray, who died in police custody. Rivers’ delivery of Bryant’s sermon about how racism puts Black people in a box, as in a coffin, is so powerful that audience members began shouting “Amen.” --Mary Wieniewski, Newcity Stage
• NOTES FROM THE FIELD--Rivers likewise displays remarkable range in her various roles; she’s particularly captivating as Taos Proctor, a Native American former inmate, and as John Lewis, a Georgia congressman and fundamental civil rights activist. --Rachel Weinberg, Broadway World
• NOTES FROM THE FIELD--And the always exquisite Shariba Rivers (“The Nacirema Society,” “Hoodoo Love”), who transcends every role she undertakes, breathes life into more actual people, like Pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant, in an affecting performance that inspired the audience to break into applause, and Finnish educator Sari Muhonen. But perhaps Ms. Rivers’ most inspiring performance is her sobering and heartfelt portrayal of the late politician & activist, John Lewis. --Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review
• NOTES FROM THE FIELD--I’m most familiar with the work of Shariba Rivers (who in my opinion, would captivate an audience if she just sat on stage and read us the phonebook) who literally brings the audience to complete silence at moments and into a supportive cheering section at other moments. --Paul Lisnek, Around the Town Chicago
• NOTES FROM THE FIELD--The cast features Mildred Marie Langford, Adhana Reid, and Shariba Rivers, who performed outstandingly. Shariba Rivers' galvanizing and sterling rendition of Pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant was compelling and inspiring, capturing the mystical movement Bryant calls for justice during Freddie Gray's eulogy. --Rick McCain, Let's Play Theatrical Reviews
• NOTES FROM THE FIELD--Shariba Rivers, in particular, is downright bone-chillingly remarkable — making for an absorbing and at times lacerating evening of theatre. --Michael Antman, Splash Magazines
• THE NACIREMA SOCIETY...--Shariba Rivers as Jessie Roberts may have few lines, but her physical comedy is spot-on. As the Dunbar maid, she sees all, and the facial expressions so clearly share everything that she is feeling. I do not want to spoil anything, but when Roberts overhears Alpha Campbell Jackson’s (Tyla Abercrumbie) big family secret in this performance, the pure shock on her face elicited an uproar of laughter from the audience. As she calmly handed Jackson her coat, the horror radiated off her entire physicality, which only invited the laughter to grow in volume. --Lauren Katz, Third Coast Review
• THE NACIREMA SOCIETY...--All these women ... feel resolutely and completely themselves, living without apology. (That includes the show-stealing turn from Shariba Rivers as Jessie, Grace’s maid, who doesn’t have a single line but communicates volumes with her body language and facial expressions.) --Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader
• THE NACIREMA SOCIETY...--Shariba Rivers is spectacular as the Dunbar family maid Jessie Roberts. Though Rivers doesn’t speak a single word, her performance is a careful, delicious study in physical comedy. --Rachel Weinberg, Broadway World
• THE NACIREMA SOCIETY...--But the star stealer of the play was Shariba W. Rivers as the maid, Jessie Roberts. Rivers never said a word, but her facial expression will have you in tears. Rivers demonstrated that you could affect any show without a line, so pay attention to the maid. --Rick McCain, Let's Play Theatrical Reviews
• THE NACIREMA SOCIETY...--And literally without saying a word, Shariba Rivers pretty much steals the show as Jessie, the Dunbars’ stealthily omniscient maid. Rivers’ well-honed comic timing and understated physical reactions to the conspiratorial goings-on around her give a much-needed ironic counterpoint to a sometimes talky and heavy-handed production. --Hugh Iglarsh, Newcity Stage
• THE NACIREMA SOCIETY...--be sure to watch the maid Jessie Roberts (Shariba Rivers). She never says a word but is always there to answer the door even though the bell doesn't ring, have people's coats ready, pour sherry and do whatever is needed without being asked. She also reacts to what's going on and risks upstaging everyone else, which is part of the point of where true power rests. --Anne Spiselman, Hyde Park Herald
• THE NACIREMA SOCIETY...--In a non-verbal role Shariba W. Rivers nearly steals the show as Jessie Roberts, the maid of Grace Dunbar, proving once again, there are no small roles. --Wesley David, Buzz Center Stage​
• THE NACIREMA SOCIETY...--And last, but definitely not least, the always incredible Shariba W. Rivers gives a knock-out performance as Jessie, the Dunbar’s personable maid. Without ever saying a word, Ms. Rivers almost steals the show with her comical facial reactions and body language. --Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review
• THE NACIREMA SOCIETY...--Shariba Rivers plays the family’s current maid, Jessie, with great aplomb, delivering some of the funniest moments in an overwhelmingly funny show without ever saying a word. --Jessie Bond, Splash Magazines
• THE NACIREMA SOCIETY...--I must also give a special shout to Shariba Rivers whose portrayal as the maid Jessie , speaks nary a line, but whose masterful use of facial expressions and her body language nearly steals the show. I wonder if Shariba wondered is (sic) her role was peripheral to the action, but no..she is a force to be reckoned with on that stage! --Paul Lisnek, Around the Town Chicago
• THE NACIREMA SOCIETY...--Her (Tyla Abercrumbie) necessarily strong and sharp working-class presence is matched by the mostly silent counterpart of the Dunbar’s maid, Jessie Roberts, brilliantly played by Shariba W. Rivers, who says more with her face and body than many denizens of dramatic enterprises. It’s no small irony that Rivers portrayed an actress playing a maid in TimeLine’s Trouble in Mind last season. --Mara Tapp, Mara Tapp.org
• THE OCTOBER STORM​--The outstanding ensemble cast is anchored by powerhouse actor Shariba Rivers, who plays Mrs. Elkins, the tightly wound young grandmother in desperate need of a reason to let her spine slip. Rivers’s portrayal of the terse matriarch is wry and profound as her inescapable gravity suspends the other characters for better or worse. --Sheri Flanders, Chicago Reader
• THE OCTOBER STORM--Under the direction of Malkia Stampley, this fast-paced show has a lot of intensity and veracity; young LaVonne is especially empathetic but the scenes between LaVonne and Rivers all pulse with high stakes. This is very much Chicago-style acting: fearless, powerful and, as the cliché goes, in your face. --Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
• THE OCTOBER STORM--Rivers plays the older woman made stoic and cruel to a tee, and her hardheartedness in the final moments will leave you with chills. --Tristan Bruns, Newcity Stage
• THE OCTOBER STORM--Ms. Stampley’s cast is led by the talented Shariba Rivers as Mrs. Elkins. Ms. Rivers returns to Raven Theatre after her riveting performances in “Hoodoo Love,” “House of Blue Leaves” and “Dividing the Estate.” Any production that features this magnificent actress is well worth experiencing, and her portrayal of this embittered woman, who only wants to connect with someone—anyone—is both powerful and heartbreaking. --Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review
• THE OCTOBER STORM--Shariba Rivers gives a knockout performance as Mrs. Elkins, the owner of a two-flat and guardian of her teenage granddaughter Gloria (Jaeda LaVonne). Rivers was also a standout in Alice Childress’ Trouble in Mind at Timeline Theater. --Kathy D. Hey, Third Coast Review
• THE OCTOBER STORM--Answering the door is Mrs. Elkins (the always excellent Shariba Rivers), a 51-year-old widower raising her 16-year-old granddaughter. She has a stoic countenance about her. This is a woman who has endured pain and lost.... No one looks better in 60’s fashion than Shariba Rivers. --Wesley David, Buzz Center Stage
• TROUBLE IN MIND--TimeLine’s production stars Shariba Rivers as Wiletta, and it’s a stunning performance that should not be missed. Rivers, to me, has always been an intensely watchable and interesting presence on stage, no matter the material, and it’s a pure joy to see her move here with nimble leaps from sardonic asides to anguished take-no-prisoners confrontations with Tim Decker’s Manners. --Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader
• TROUBLE IN MIND--As Wiletta, Rivers is the true beating heart of this production. She has an absolute star turn. Rivers's Wiletta has a quiet power to her; she always holds herself in high esteem, but her moments aren't all big. The power sometimes lies in the ways in which Wiletta feels forced to constrain herself even when she has more to say, and Rivers finds just the right moments to let it all out. She finds command in both the more intimate moments, such as her congenial exchanges with Henry, and in her moments of rage, in which she refuses to stand down when Al attacks her. --Rachel Weinberg, Broadway World
• TROUBLE IN MIND--The pitch perfect direction by OJ Parson seems to let every actor in this production shine, and especially gives Shariba Rivers an opportunity to deliver a tour de force performance.  In the intimate space of the Timeline Theatre, we easily see her tears well and her facial muscles quiver.  You too may feel that Rivers’ performance is what most plants the Wiletta Mayer character of Childress’ pen in our imagination.... Anyone who loves theater’s ability to say something important – as lead character Wiletta Mayer craves it to do—will be well-served by changing their schedule to see this show. --Amy Munice, Picture This Post
• TROUBLE IN MIND--But the focus of the night, and of this production, is on an experienced actor named Wiletta Mayer (Shariba Rivers).... Rivers digs very deep here and, as her character talks to fellow performers richly played by Kenneth D. Johnson, Vincent Jordan and Tarina J. Bradshaw, the show ripples with energy, anger and the moral dilemma known to anyone who has inhabited a competitive workplace: when to tell the bosses what they want to hear and when to take a stand. --Chris Jones, The Chicago Tribune
• TROUBLE IN MIND--The words in this play are more powerful and moving than the actors, but this is not to say the core of actors chosen for this production wasn't outstanding because they were.... Also making her debut is the incredibly talented Shariba Rivers, whose performance of Wiletta Mayer is outstanding.  --Rick McCain, Let's Play Theatrical Reviews
• TROUBLE IN MIND--But the star of this show (and indeed the star of the play within the play) is veteran actress Wiletta Mayer (magnificently played by Shariba Rivers) who as the play progresses, gets fed up with the racism and stereotyping that the play within the play requires her to perform....  We watch as Wiletta transforms, indeed merges the seasoned actress we see in the opening the show to the woman underneath her character. We watch as Wiletta comes to realize that the demands and expectations put on these characters should not, indeed cannot, be portrayed anymore. --Paul M. Lisnek, Around the Town Chicago
• TROUBLE IN MIND--Rivers is outstanding, especially in a second act in which Wiletta takes a vehement stand against the director, whose vision of the play turns all of the Black characters into simpering, bent-over caricatures of real people in real situations. --Karen Topham, Chicago on Stage
• TROUBLE IN MIND--Shariba Rivers, who dazzled audiences in Raven’s “Hoodoo Love” and Paramount’s “Sweat,” is once again spectacular as Wiletta Mayer....  The electrifying chemistry that sizzles between Ms Rivers and Mr. Decker points up their characters’ inability to effectively communicate to each other. The scene becomes a bloodshed battleground.  --Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review
• TROUBLE IN MIND--Directed by Ron OJ Parson and featuring a solid cast headed by the remarkable Shariba Rivers, who exudes intelligence and strength, the play at first seems dated, even creaky, until the continuing relevance of issues like equality, power, representation and appropriation sinks in. --Anne Spiselman, Hyde Park Herald

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