Everybody Hates This Place is meaningful and feels deeply personal. It’s easy to root for Evan, the passionate protagonist crusading for a revival of his beloved Riverton. He makes compelling, cogent arguments. W.C. is well drawn, a worthy opponent to Evan’s noble plans. Given the nature of the debate, it would be easy for the dialogue to drag – it doesn’t. Richter keeps us engaged, and the occasional intrusions from the barista and Marisa inject welcomed fresh perspectives. My personal affinity for so-called Rust Belt cities makes this excellent, important story, for me, even better.

Small towns and cities like the Riverton of this play are dying out all over, and with it a way of life. This play asks questions about that which I don't often see addressed in theatre. How will small towns survive, and should they? What is the role of place in our life? What is our duty to our places of origin? How do we realize our ambitions within the confines of our homes towns--or do we leave? Is loyalty to be valued? A beautiful, timely piece of drama I would love to not only see but discuss afterward too.

Having lived in every corner of this country from small towns to big towns you run into the characters of Riverton, Pennsylvania everywhere. Richter takes us to such place, builds an engaging and entertaining culture that forces the audience to ask themselves, am I stuck? Throw in Adam Richter's incredible dialogue capabilities and rich authentic characters and well, I'm surprised that no one has commissioned Adam to turn this into a full-length play, there are plenty of avenues for extension. Great play, highly recommend.