painfully beautiful.

Franky Gonzalez doesn't just write plays. He writes experiences. The theatrical and immersive nature of this show pulls you in, and once he's got you, Gonzalez doesn't let you go. From the pre-show moments collecting your "visitor pass" and watching guards subdue an "escaping prisoner" to the time-bending transitions between scenes, the theatricality of Even Flowers Bloom in Hell, Sometimes amplifies the power of this unflinching examination of the U.S. Injustice System and the dehumanizing effects of incarceration. As with so many of his plays, the complexity of family relationships fuel the moments of deepest pain and greatest hope.

Compelling. An experience that begins before you get into your seat and continues when you leave it. An observation and exploration of the oppressive systems put in place, that are presented to us as rehabilitation, but are a disguise for our demise. Franky Gonzalez's "Even Flowers Bloom in Hell, Sometimes" is a beautifully written play with heart, strength, wonder, discovery, and heartbreak, as it takes us on this journey that many lives have gone through, still go through, and that some don't want us to see. A piece that not only motivates change within the system, but within ourselves.