←Recommendations of El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom

Uses, bends, and explores the middle grounds between the mythic and the cartoonish. This play closely examines the fantasy of the superhero, as both a personal symbol of empowerment, and as a representation of the hope for a powerful, benevolent guardian. The dream is distorted by the rising specters of capitalism and corporate cynicism, but even though the threat is vast, there's a genuine sense of hope when our hero comes to stand against them. Barbot's play is remarkable in how it follows the plot structure of a true superhero narrative, and builds on it with purpose.

A terrific exploration of identity and family as two brothers work to prove themselves to the world. Well done!

Truly a masterclass for the next generation of Latinx theatre. Truly would be an actor's dream to play these roles, and it deserves to be put on again and again! Just an absolute joy.

Spectacular. Barbot's imagination leaps off of the page and gives us a dizzying blend of heart, humor, and urgency that is impossible to resist. Dense in it's thematic meditations yet light as a feather on it's feet.

Truly a remarkable accomplishment!

A gloriously theatrical exploration of identity, family, and self-actualization using the world of superheroes and comic books. Barbot's piece also discusses cultural appropriation, legacy, and moving on from familial grief in a poignant and hilarious fashion. I hope to see a full production of this piece sometime soon--in addition to having meaty roles, it seems like a director's and designer's dream.

A Latino nerds dream. Such a fun and smart play that uses a love of superheroes with the struggle of owning one’s self as a Latino. Theatrical, a designers dream too.

This very funny and quite moving play uses superhero tropes to explore serious issues of identity, authenticity, and cultural appropriation. It is richly layered and quite engaging. The only thing better than reading it would be to see it in production.

A play that poses the question - can you become a super hero if your only power is your super human heart. It has just the right balance of absurd comic book action and emotional truth. Matt is a writer to watch, grab him before he escapes to Hollywood.

Got to see this play a few years ago and I continue to think about it. I'm always on the hunt for plays that utilize genre storytelling in exciting new ways, and this play does exactly that with superheroes and a whiz-bang pace of storytelling. Really just tremendous fun and moving and a story we need now more than ever.

This play is engaging, human, and sweet - the characters are complex and simply ache to have their stories told. Directors, designers, and actors all have something great to dig into here. Give it a read!