←Recommendations of El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom

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!

In 2016, I got a chance to attend the Crossing Borders festival at Two Rivers Theatre but missed the first reading which was of this play. I heard about how incredible it was all weekend. I also heard about how incredible it was when it was fully produced at Two Rivers earlier this year. Now I finally got a chance to read the script and I understand what everyone was talking about. This play is epic in scale at times but also so intimate in the way it addresses issues like identity and selling out. Love this play!!

LOVE this play! Fun, insightful, irreverent! Matt has an admirable dominion of the wild and evocative language in the play and yet still manages to ground the comic book world in truth and love. Give yourself permission to go on this fantastic and unique ride!

A superhero play about what it means to see yourself in a superhero? I can't think of a better time for this play. Barbot is a perceptive writer with a finely-tuned ear, and this play is a fine display of his signature voice. It's fun, smart, and truly touching—balancing human drama, fantasy, and comic book structure with great care, without ever losing a sense of wonder and play.

I am blown away by this play! Beautiful and powerful, Matt expertly uses superheroes as a metaphor to examine the complexities of identity in a fun, resonate way. The story is engaging and timely and should be a part of Any theatre season across the US.

There's not many plays that manage to be this entertaining and yet hit me right in my core. As a Puerto Rican who lives in NYC, but that didn't grow up here, this play gave me a window to see the identity problems that that plagues us a community both in the island and in our second home, NYC. Hilarious and heartbreaking, Barbot's work cut right into the middle of the issues and rally us to take a stand for ourselves and our identity while keeping itself relevant no matter your nationality.

El Coqui has a fantastic sense of theatricality--it seamlessly blends comic book form and theatrical narrative to create a totally original experience! Flawlessly structured, Barbot allows us to embrace our nerdom while simultaneously exploring the nuances of Nuyorican identity.

As an Anglicized Puerto Rican and Dominican, I am constantly questioning my connection to my Latin heritage. What makes me a Latino? This play resonates with me deeply with its themes of identity and acceptance.