Two Elizas

Described by Los Angeles critic Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros as “the personification of all that is perfect and true in a solo theatre play” and hailed by New Jersey critic Allen Neuner as “a one-woman tour-de-force,” the Hermann-Grima House is proud to present TWO ELIZAS by Jenny Mercein. This acclaimed solo show explores the true story of Jenny’s ancestor Eliza Mercein Barry and her landmark 1847 U.S. Supreme Court case, Barry v. Mercein, which established a woman's right to retain custody of her child. In an emotionally gripping intergenerational reflection on resilience and women's rights, Jenny mirrors her ancestor with her own trials and tribulations to motherhood.