←Recommendations of Recess

This is just gorgeous. In ten short minutes, Krantz develops two multi-dimensional characters — Both children. So often onstage, kids are window dressing, or comic relief. Maybe they get to throw a tantrum. But not these kids. Krantz paints a portrait where the foibles of adult life are held up in the hearts and minds of two adorable second graders. Oh, how I would love to see this performed!

Sweet but never saccharine - this play expounds on "playing house" until it is not only a reflection of a relationship, but also of the ways we all carry our childhoods forward into our adult lives. An impressive achievement, especially in a ten minute play.

Tender, funny, and fierce - there is so much in this play. We see the beginning of a child’s imagination and how it comes from both reality and wishful thinking. We see two lives with ups and downs who were so lucky to have met. And we see two children and their remarkable potential as adults. Whew, that’s a lot in a short play. Succinct, seemingly small but huge in scope. It’s a beauty.

Lovely, just lovely. Krantz explores SO MUCH in just 10 minutes here, and yet the play takes its time, moves at its own pace, hovers between innocence and wisdom so well that it's hard to tell which is which. Tear-inducing. I've seen other takes on children playing at being grownups; Krantz teaches a master class in it. A grand addition to any festival or, better still, evening of Krantz plays.

Krantz has written a truly beautiful play. With having adult actors playing children, Krantz tells an incredibly touching, honest, tug-at-your-heartstrings story about relationships and their expectations. Not going to lie. I got a little verklempt at the end. Read it. See it. Produce it.

What a beautiful, heart-wrenching, accessible short play. RECESS is a ten-minute play done right: it gives us so much backstory through action while propelling the play forward to its sweet, satisfying end. The imagination of the young portrayed by the experienced is one of my favorite things to see onstage. Terrifically fun and subtle roles for an actor and actress. Nostalgic, real, honest, and gentle -- a really triumphant short play.

This short play does what I find most delightful in plays - characters playing parts. Capturing what's theatrical in life. The play within the play itself. The playwright effectively uses the structure of recess time play - playground play - to focus on the narratives/myths of parenting, marriage, and family life. The use of adults to play children is not just for comic effect. The play is surprisingly serious in its execution and intent. Check it out.