←Recommendations of The Subtle, Sublime Transformation of Benny V.

I would describe Benny V. as a coming of age play about a middle aged man who should have died two years ago, and it is wonderful. Benny V.'s adventure is about the joys of discovering and embracing something new and and finding that it is never too late to start living. From the wry meta commentary the Compere touts, to the poignant strangers turned friends it's the characters that bring this Benny V. (both the show and the man) to life. I hope Benny V. finds his way to your local stage sometime soon.

Engaging, enchanting, and theatrically exciting, Steven G. Martin's "The Subtle, Sublime Transformation of Benny V. is pure delight from start to finish. I was caught up in the world Martin created, a world populated with wonderful, sharply drawn characters whirling around the adorable Benny V., an everyman to love, root for, and cheer as he realizes his own self-worth. A beautiful play.

An engaging and beautifully written play about mid-life crisis and transformation. About realizing one's self-worth and deciding to be happy. Highly recommend!

Benny V. is adorable in his bumbling way, and his transformation feels so real and is so earned, I root for him throughout this earnest exploration into his used-up should-have-expired life until he allows himself to be changed! The world of this play holds so much wonder and awe that I am charmed, my impatience put on hold, my empathy stretched, and my heart warmed!

Martin's play starts as a workplace comedy expands into a warm, open-hearted exploration of the human experience, and one man’s adventures attempt to experience life and everything it has to offer. It also has a lot to say about cynicism and doubt, those trolls who surround us and live within us, who work tirelessly to tear down even our most modest ambitious. It's full of wonder, hope and humor, and I highly recommend it.

Plays like this remind me that the power of wonder in our lives is what can transform all of us. The action shows us how wonder opens up closed-off Benny like a flower. And when the play brings all of what we think he has achieved crashing down around him--it reminds us and assures us that it's our own ability to transform that is the real wonder in our lives. Highly theatrical, mixing expressionism, realism, a sense of circus. A beautiful, resonant work.

What’s not to like about Martin’s The Subtle, Sublime Transformation of Benny V.? It has everything that his short works have but doubled—the human insight, the humor, and a fresh plot that explodes with such sincerity. Martin’s Benny V shines with such Everyman awareness I was sad when the play ended but felt all the richer by having shared this transcendent journey with him.

What a wonderful, marvelous play. It's magical, it's beautiful, it's sad, it's too true and too painfully real at times, but it's so warm and so uplifting. This play has gorgeous structure and wonderful prose and fantastic dialogue and a phenomenal story, but more than any of that, it gives me TREMENDOUS hope in the human race and the IMPORTANT reminder that is never too late, that your life isn't over until it's over, that hard work and dedication pay off, that while nothing falls into your lap, the universe is there if you seek it. Absolutely beautiful. Highly recommended.

"Theatre management reminds the audience that we can do this sort of thing." Transformative. Martin depicts an artist's first, fumbling steps into wonder as Benny V. - a man who should have died two years ago, our host compere tells us - discovers painting, dining, cooking, travel, the stars. Boldly, Martin allows Benny to make mistakes, before showing us the battle for Benny's very soul, as enemy forces work to kill his spirit. Benny's joy is Martin's joy is our joy. The play's enthusiasm is infectious. Martin takes the pure feelings of every playwright and sets them to paper. Extraordinary.