←Recommendations of CANOPY

I am impressed by how much meaning Carnes derives from seemingly simple conversations and everyday gestures of living as a couple. And the use of "alternate" versions of the characters adds a fascinating layer to this play that I am enjoying contemplating. Do these other characters represent our dreams or more authentic selves? Or are they just emblematic of the roles we all play, seemingly changeable even as we revel in our distinctiveness? A wonderful read and something that would take on more resonance on stage.

I like the warm and cozy domestic feel of two people, partners for life, doing everyday things around the house. They seem delightfully intimate and involved with each other. On another level, they long for something else and the message is, to go for achievable goals in your life, such as visiting foreign places or tackling challenging projects. These people seem confined within their conformity, yet their wonderful humor is unusual and entertaining. It's exciting for the audience to anticipate what comes next and the staging colors the lives that most of us live.

Fascinating play with excellent dialogue and a truly unique device. Would loved to see this staged!

Carnes' writing, these ten scenes, can be mined and studied for the foundations of drama and dialogue. Her characters are focused on the "here and now," "who's in front of them." It's proper playwriting, even when about tea or aurora borealis; ranging from true, to nervous, to hilarious; always engaging. I have a personal connection and affection for the sandwich, ant, and mug bits. Frances and Dana survive and communicate (or fail to) through conflicts centered on (anti-)change, catching up, food, family. The transitions, portraitures of human behavior, are delightful, extolling human anomalies, busting your gut, melting your heart.

Oh, wow. This play completely caught me off guard in so many ways. I love the concept--the idea of changing actors so fluidly with completely random chance dictating who is who is completely innovative. But what I love most of all is that the content of the piece is so incredibly universal. Who hasn't heard an old couple talk like this before? I have literally heard my grandparents have these conversations. The language of Dana and Frances is sweet and soothing--its tenderness, patience, and familiarity feel like a warm, used blanket with Irish Soap beneath the comforter.