←Recommendations of THE LAST DATE

A wonderful short play that expertly breaks the fourth wall. A play that leaves you grappling with reality. Sherman has created a fascinating scenario and leaves you guessing the whole time.

This intelligent, harrowing, but ultimately hopeful metatheatrical play is a powerful vehicle for changing lives and perspectives. The framing makes it clear that the audience is part of the performance, but the unspoken contract - of dining in restaurants, of the theatre - makes them simultaneously spectators and complicit bystanders. As a reader or audience member, you will be forced to interrogate which character you believe and why and will leave the theatre with that realization at the top of your mind. This will certainly spark necessary and important conversations between audience members and help many women feel seen. Fantastic.

More harrowing for its quotidian nature than the excesses of genre horror. THE LAST DATE is intrinsic to our lives. Mind manipulation, psychic identity theft, gaslighting - all seem more prevalent these days. And that Alyssa fights free subtly reinforces that she might not have. In particular, I love the way EGS handles the spilt wine, the fourth-wall dynamic, and that the play would seamlessly move into a talkback. A comparison with “The Pain of My Belligerence” by Halley Feiffer comes to mind, but this is briefer and more honestly human in its outrage.

The ending is so well crafted. It leaves you with hope in a world where loud, gregarious men are more seen and heard than women. The truth of Alyssa's situation, regardless of what the social truth of her relationship with Jeff/David, is that she clearly didn't welcome his physical attack on her personal space. Even if she were having a "mental break" and he really were her husband, he had no right to do what he did and she clearly needed assistance. Luckily, she had a Kelly waiting in the wings. May we all have a Kelly!

Stunning. An extremely well crafted and chilling look at power, manipulation, and self-doubt.

This had me off balance right from the start. Was Jeff, or whatever his name is, being cute? Was this funny? And suddenly it was ugly, uncomfortable, frightening. And I’m left wondering what I would have done if I were a patron at the restaurant. What should I do? My applause at the end is not enough. Emma Goldman-Sherman again shows her unflinching bravery with this must read.

I read this play on behalf of Hire Survivors Hollywood. In only ten minutes, it packs an incredible punch. Thanks to the playwright's deft writing, you'll leave with a better understanding of what it feels like to be gaslighted; and at the same time, see how easy it could be to become complicit in another person's abuse. Goldman-Sherman does all of that while centering and honoring the survivor's experience. A fabulous work.

This is powerful and good with a great ending. Brava playwright!

What a great play that pulls you along from the very start and won't let your emotions go. Glad this was my play of the day today. Goldman-Sherman's writing is so full of energy that you are caught up in this assault without even realizing it and so glad that when it's over, Alyssa is still there and fighting for a new beginning just like she deserves.

A thought provoking piece that can call out the complicity of the audience in what is happening on stage. A great examination of gaslighting and manipulation that will shock the audience over and over in a short amount of time.