I saw A Short Leap Theatre's production of this play in Chicago, and it was such a beautiful testament to the rewards reaped when one finds the bravery to branch out and try new things - and how reinvention isn't just for the young. You can change for the better at any age. A lovely, lovely warm hug of a play.

We are told at the top that our titular protagonist, Benny V, has outlived his life expectancy by two years. As such, I surmised the play might be an autopsy of a life. Instead, it becomes a vivisection - a subtle, sublime examination of a superlatively average person's late bloom during a stolen season. Benny V's joys are hard won and even his happiest moments happen on the thinnest of ice. Martin takes daring turns challenging us to think and feel and live. Singularly beautiful and inspiring.

Benny V is absolutely relatable and inspirational. If this isn't one of the most uplifting plays about hope and just living, I don't know much about hope and living! This is magical, yet super simplistic at the same time. This is a play that will leave audiences uplifted and motivated while the production team has so much freedom to make this play their own, unique work of art. I feel transformed, too!