←Recommendations of Tighten Your Borscht Belt

Hilary Bluestein-Lyons has done an amazing job of recreating the atmosphere of the Borscht Belt circuit in the Catskills, a breeding ground for a generation of comics… male comics. Enter Hattie. Ambitious, talented, and determined to upset the status quo. Along for the ride are her kvetching mother, her husband/manager who feels he must prove his manhood outside of the marriage, and a loyal friend who is a victim of other 1950s unpleasantness. Witty, well-paced, with strong characters and great stand-up material! I wish I had read this before I attempted some of my own work!

As funny as you would expect a play about a stand-up comic to be. As poignant you would expect a play about the failure of a marriage to be. Hilary Bluestein-Lyons deftly mixes humor and heartbreak in this gripping, touching and at times hilarious story of the difficult choices facing a woman trying to succeed in stand up comedy in the 1950's.

A powerful ride that takes us through the twists and turns of navigating show business and family. Well done.

This stunning plays holds your attention from beginning to the poignant conclusion. What a roller coaster ride, that takes you from the peaks of side-splitting comedy to the dark valleys of a marriage breaking apart. I laughed! I cried!! No, I really did, especially at the end.

The thought-provoking story will stay with you long after End of Play. Ms. Bluestein-Lyons has done a remarkable job of recreating the mores and manners of 1950s America. I truly enjoyed exploring this different and fascinating culture and era.

What a great read. I loved it and found it so real that I almost imagined myself a fly on the wall with these characters. The comedy was pointed, but hilarious nevertheless. Harriet so strong. I want to see it staged.

Hilary Bluestein-Lyons hits hard with her comedy. TIGHTEN YOUR BORSCHT BELT is incredibly funny, tender, and (at times) difficult to watch. The character of Hattie is simply tremendous; she's strong, well-spoken, witty, and committed. Bluestein-Lyons' twisting of her pain into comedic gold is a delight. I would love to see this staged. Produce it now, please!

Stand up comedy is hard. Writing material for a stand up character in your play, much harder. Having done it, i speak from experience. Enter Ms. Blaustein-Lyons who makes 1950s humor feel so good and rightly topical that you wonder if this isn't autobiographical. It isn't. I asked. From her other plays I know she is a strong dramatist, but TYBB in particular shows her deftness with multiple genre work. As a Black playwright I also applaud the cultural specificity she uses. It embraces, instead of alienates, you into its world of Yiddish hilarity (is that a thing?)

Brilliant, unique, and very very funny! One would think the playwright were in the room at any given hotel in the Catskills during the 1950s, where you will want to be, too, once you step into this work.

Tighten Your Borsht Belt is an incredibly witty, nimble play about a female comedian fighting for respect on her way to stardom in the Borsht Belt of the Catskill Mountains during the 1950s. Hilary Bluestein-Lyons has done a remarkable job of not only embracing the language of the period, but in creating a truly remarkable woman in the character of Hattie, who, like so many great comics, creates laughter from her pain. This is a play with strong roles for women and a single set, making it perfect for nearly any venue. Highly recommend!