←Recommendations of INERTIA

A whirlwind portrait of the end of the love story between a man and his sock monkey. Carnes gets absolute credit for dropping us right into the scenario and never pausing to let the audience catch up. Hell, even poor blindsided Billie's trying to keep up, but Minky is the leader of this whole story. How can anyone possibly compete with Minky's new love - but especially Billie? All of we in the audience who have seen a love affair come to a sad end will lock eyes and nod knowingly. Absurd, yes, but also so, so, real.

I swear to God that I had to read this play twice to be sure that was possible to be so consistently uproariously funny page after page. It clearly is if you're Rachael Carnes. Her trenchantly observed dialogue would be awfully funny between two humans in a stalled relationship, but having one half of the couple be a sock monkey allows for delirious absurdity to reign. This is my my first exposure to her work, but it won't be my last.

It is easy to see why so many of us respect Rachael's work. She can go from the extremely serious "Partner Of--" to the completely absurd in this play without missing a beat and still have a poignant message. I was laughing but at the same time, I was admiring the approach and more importantly I was concerned about both characters. By the end, I was so invested I wanted to know what would happen to both after the play ended.

I’m so glad most people aren’t watching me when I read a Rachael Carnes play like this one... because as I did, I grew conscious of a goofy grin that was spreading across my face, which later became helpless laughter, chortles, and outright snorts. The sock monkey, Minky, in INERTIA, is a one-of-a-kind creation. Just when you hear what might be one of the best retorts ever written, Carnes gives the plucky stuffed animal an even better one. A definite crowd pleaser. If you need a really good laugh, look no further.

What a delightful treat! Such a great original play with a sock monkey. Minky should have his own coffee table book and fan club for which I would gladly be the Vice-President!!

A very funny and witty take on the sock monkey prompt - it had me feeling sorry for its human lead by the end :-)