I remembered seeing this play from the Orlando Shakes years ago and it's something I still think about all the time. With some of the most skilled, layered imagery I've ever seen along with unexpected wry humor and the role of a lifetime for whoever is gifted with playing Elizabeth, I can't recommend this play enough.

This play is the magical, shadowy, twisted riddle I always hope for when reading. Mr. Yockey has mixed his ingredients with a careful palate; the Greek mythology, combined with the planetary metaphors, are impeccably balanced. We “get it” without being walloped over the head. The alien language erupting from the dog, and Maxine’s splendid fury, create an epic feel so much larger than its perimeter of a kitchen. In short, the strangeness of the world lends an extravagant scope to its heroine’s grief that pure realism could never have achieved.

PLUTO is a play we need to teach to all of our theater students. The resulting conversation is vital to growing a community of young adults eager to engage in difficult and often taboo subjects. This play is beautiful. It's layered, but not too complex, and above all, it's not an issue play. It's a play about so many things, but most importantly it's a play that will get an audience talking- whether an audience of one student in front of a screen, or an entire theater. This play is IMPORTANT.