I have been wanting to see The Sugar Ridge Rag by Philip Middleton Williams and finally got to read this beautiful and truthful play. Having lived through this period, I rarely read or see a play that gets it - That understands life in the 60's: the complex in the simplicity, and the simplicity in the complex. Middleton Williams has always written beautiful and sensitive relationship plays but this, written with the background of ragtime and 1960's America, sears your heart. Yes, I did cry. And I laughed at the goodheartedness of these characters. Should be seen nationwide.

I had the good fortune to watch a livestream of the live production of The Sugar Ridge Rag produced by Lab Theatre Project in Tampa, FL. Playwright Philip Middleton Williams has crafted a nuanced, moving, searingly honest portrayal of a family torn apart due to the Vietnam War and the two very different choices made by twin brothers. Full of gorgeous dialogue, authentic family drama, all set to a backdrop of syncopated ragtime music. I hope this beautiful piece of theatre is produced again and again.

As enjoyable as plays are to read, they are meant to be performed; interpretations by a director and their cast are bound to differ from the preconceived notions that come from reading a work, and seeing Williams' THE SUGAR RIDGE RAG in performance at the Lab Theater Project recently revealed so many more levels to this touching story than are apparent on the page. A powerful piece of writing, the production pointed the way to what the script could be when performed – a heartbreaking, engrossing, and thought-provoking piece of theater.