←Recommendations of A PICTURE OF TWO BOYS

We all have that friend that we remember fondly that we knew in junior high and high school. They are the ones who got us through those awful years of school, that we shared our secrets with and wanted to sometimes share more with them if only things had worked out differently for both. Malakhow takes us through one of those friendships with such poetry that we can we can still see all the possibilities of lifetimes lived and those not.

A Picture Of Two Boys is a beautiful, heartrending portrait of friendship, adolescent pain and the way life pushes people together and pulls them apart. Malakhow’s characters feel organic and specific, their relationship both archetypal and nuanced, and the play itself lands emotional punches that sting. I love the contrast between Markey and Pete and their older counterparts and the way the script helps you understand how each boy grew into the man they became. Excellent play, not to be missed.

What a rich and multilayered exploration of the effects of sexual abuse on two boys and on the men they become. From the earliest beats these two boys are completely engaging and the effects of the racism they suffer are manifest. As more revelations ensue their complex relationship becomes even more gripping and their tentative steps toward healing even more uplifting. This is a play of great skill and heart. It deserves to be seen widely.

Wow! What a beautiful play! It's got friendship, hardship, trauma and healing. I was not expecting the twists the happened and was just rooting for both of these boys the whole way through. We need more plays like this that allow men of color to explore sexuality, friendship, communication and healing as both young boys and adults.

I really loved so many things about this play-- the naturalistic dialogue (particularly the playwright's mastery of children's speech, so convincing), the use of time as a storytelling mechanism, and the gradual way we come to know these characters. Visualizing this play as I read, I think it would be interesting to see it performed with just two actors, as described in the casting note.

Malakhow gives us an intimate and dynamic relationship between two young men who uncover and realize the trauma they have suffered at the hands of the same person in acutely different ways. It is not always a pretty picture--Malakhow often goes for the messy and the complicated, particularly in the second half of the play. But the depth of emotion here is outstanding, and you feel as if you have become friends with Peter and Marcus by the end of it. A lovely, heart-wrenching, and quietly moving play.

As a huge fan of Nick Malakhow’s work, I’m surprised I hadn’t read this mesmerizing play until now. Gorgeously written, the tension hangs in the air like a raincloud threatening to burst at any moment – and when it finally does, Malakhow delivers a perfect storm of emotions that cuts deep and true. A stunning work, a beautiful work, a necessary work.

An achingly sad friendship play that at first pulls in with Malakhow's use of detail to shape the connection between the two characters, that then astounds with a malleable sense of time. The way the development arcs of the characters is shaped around their trauma is tangibly conveyed and well-done.

Beautifully written and heartbreaking play about friendship and loss and trauma. I'd love to see it on stage.

A truly sumptious and complex play that deals with how trauma impacts friendship and whether or not relationships can survive. Malakhow teaches us a lot about the dramaturgy of time here. This is a very exciting play to read, and I hope I get the opportunity to see it staged! The drowning is especially theatrical, and the whole thing is truly beautifully crafted. READ IT. PRODUCE IT. Give us this play!