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Monsters of the American Cinema by Christian St. Croix

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  • Aly Kantor:
    13 Feb. 2022
    “ I am a sucker for direct-address storytelling, and the playwright has struck such an incredible balance between what we learn from the characters and what we learn from their behavior. Most satisfying of all is the way that every last drop of delicious exposition seems to pay off in such an incredibly satisfying way. I am still trying to wrap my brain around how the final nightmare sequence came together so brilliantly. This is a small, distinct epic about specific, human characters that is singularly theatrical, compelling, hilarious, heartbreaking... but is always, always about love first. It's just beautiful. ”
  • Vince Gatton:
    12 Feb. 2022
    “ Humor, horror, joy, and sorrow commingle beautifully in St. Croix’s stunning play. Black Remy is raising his late husband’s white teenage son Pup, and their bond is gorgeously real, warm, idiosyncratic, and sharp. But darker events in their pasts and the present threaten the safe haven of their drive-in theater/trailer home. This fathers-and-sons story is funny, painful, and filled with so much love, exploring the monsters and ghosts that terrorize us, those that live inside us, and those that do both at once. ”
  • Stephanie Hickling Beckman:
    2 Feb. 2022
    “ This fast-paced, and engaging two-hander about a unique father/son relationship challenges the idea of family, and the responsibility of being in a relationship, of any kind, with other people. It brings up human nature and its ever-present need for connection and acceptance in a world that neither understands us or makes room for our differences. St. Croix has done a beautiful job of creating conflict which is both intense and polarizing and managing to resolve it without leaning on predictability. ”
  • Shaun Leisher:
    20 Jun. 2021
    “ The type of relationship at the center of this enthralling two-hander is one we just don't get to see on stage that often. You can cut the tension between these two characters and the choice to set this play at a place where people go to escape the horrors of their lives is inspired. This is a play about facing the monsters in the world around us and the ones inside of ourselves. ”
  • Ky Weeks:
    28 Mar. 2021
    “ The relationship of this play is intense and written with unflinching force and delicate care. The characters are written with such empathy, the conflict that builds between them, fueled by a genuine sense of betrayal, is gut-wrenching. The duologue and nightmare sequences add so much depth to this piece, and the use of classic monster movies brilliantly adds so much to them in a believable way. ”
  • Nick Malakhow:
    16 May. 2020
    “ This play covers so much over the course of its briskly-moving single act. We connect so deeply to Remy and Pup as individuals, while at the same time watching a nuanced and complex exploration of grief, family, parenting, coming of age, addiction, and identity. Remy and Pup's unique parent-child relationship is so beautifully and tenderly rendered--there is so much evident love between them--while St. Croix still sets up palpable conflicts between them. I really appreciated that this was a two-character piece and yet I felt such a rich sense of the people and world around them. Gorgeous work! ”
  • Pravin Wilkins:
    15 May. 2020
    “ "Monsters of the American Cinema" is a truly special piece. It invites the audience in with honest & unapologetic narration, knife-sharp one-liners & asides, and an abundance of energy from its two stars--then it delivers so much more. A genuine exploration of grief, parenthood, and growing up, this play poses a complicated and heartbreaking question familiar to many immigrant parents, gay parents, and adoptive parents, which is: how do you raise a child who is being taught, overtly or covertly, to hate people like you? ”