←Recommendations of POP POP WAS A WAR HERO

Sometimes finding out that the people you love are human, with all the faults and flaws that we are all heir to is both disappointing and enlightening. In this brief but compelling visit with Hillary and her daughter Gwen as they start to clear out the garage, the memories -- good and bad -- come back. This is a powerful statement in a compact and well-written play.

Wow. This incisive short by Gina Femia is layered and loaded, filled with sentiment but definitely not sentimental. And as is usual for Femia, it’s what not being said that packs the punch that lingers long after one has read it.

The banter between mother and daughter is rhythmic and fresh, with nice authentic interruptions cutting in and out. This strong female duo would be a pleasure to watch onstage.

Femia's characters are always so refreshing, she has a way of making them honest and hilarious and heartbreaking all at once. I relate so strongly with POP POP WAS A WAR HERO, how we forget parts of the past in order to live with it, what we do and don't tell our children, and how dangerous stuff can be. This is a fantastic ten-minute, highly recommend reading and producing it - especially produce this if you're near me so I can come see it.

In a few short pages, Femia builds a frame for grief and the explosion of memory that comes from moving through the belongings of a loved one -- before they're really gone. This remarkable play wades through the gray area of loss: Past, present and future. Kirkegard writes, "The most painful state of being is remembering the future, particularly the one you'll never have.” And it's in these borderlands that Femia's thoughtfully-constructed characters reside, finding solace and meaning in the mundane, as if this distraction is a little life raft that might carry them through rough waters. Simply brilliant.

This play felt like a smooth jazz song that helps you reflect about life while taking you away with its composition. An easy yet powerful short play.

A really good 10 minute play!!! The death of a parent certainly isn's a new subject in the theatre but with this snippet of time with a mother and daughter, Femia proves there are angles that can be looked at through fresh perspectives.