←Recommendations of A Brief List of Everyone Who Died

Cathartic and deeply compassionate, this play talks about death by dropping you in it, surrounding you with it, and letting you feel the pain of these character’s loss. With evocative language, simple yet poetic, Rice takes you on a journey that you will definitely need a box of tissues for.

I loved the structural elegance of this play. It was inventive without being gimmicky. On the contrary the dichotomy between some of the profound and wrenching losses Gracie/Graciella/Grace faces and the more mundane and sometimes humorous episodes so perfectly captures the relationship between humans and death, dying, bereavement, grief, and mortality. Jacob Marx Rice gives us a human, flawed, and compelling central character--the perfect centerpiece to a play such as this. The theatricality of everyone playing multiple ages and some poignant double-casting is just icing on the cake. I'd love to see this one in production!

The only time I will ever approve of a dog dying in a play. (Not a spoiler). This play beautifully examines something that people are so afraid to talk about-the cruelty, heartbreak, and inevitability of death. The more people you love, the more you have to lose, and that is at the center of this funny, inspiring play.

I love this play so much, it immediately grabbed my attention and pulled me into a wonderfully constructed world with clearly developed, well-defined characters approaching the inevitable. Rice's knack for dialogue and dark humor really shines through in this work. I was caught off guard in several moments while reading and felt completely destroyed at the end. Thank you for the gift that is this excellent play.

A unique approach to a universal theme. This play is about something we all have to deal with, without ever being predictable or trite. Rice has a whip-smart sense of humor and a beautiful sense of dialogue that is both very realistic and achingly poignant. A beautiful play that is somehow simple and complex at the same time.

What a compassionate, generous play. True to its setting description, A Brief List of Everyone Who Died gives you an entire life, bobbing brightly in the shadow of many deaths. Jacob Marx Rice manages the difficult trick of writing an every(wo)man story that actually feels ultra-specific and inclusive. The play has a kind of effortless propulsion, nimbly dancing through many years then finding the perfect places for breathtaking pauses.

What a beautiful play! So well developed, the characters were intricate and believable, you truly knew each one of them to their core. Loved the multiculturalism and inclusiveness, I found myself doing dramaturgical research and educating myself on language and cultures. Very funny, but also a very honest look at how people approach death and early in life affects our view on the subject. Would highly recommend!

The impending nature of death and the stubbornness of mankind collide in A BRIEF LIST OF EVERYONE WHO DIED. Jacob Marx Rice finds an excellent rhythm as the age of his main character, Graciela marches forward through time, reluctant and coping with the deaths that make up her life. It’s a bitter, sweet, and perfectly balanced look at a difficult series of events we all know unfortunately well. #PlaywrightPlug