←Recommendations of 153

This piece has a beautiful magic to it, along with a generous and wise heart. It is full of surprise and humanity in all the best ways. I would love to see this play live and experience the theatrical delight of this piece as intended. I always love when I read a play that breathes as only a play can. Wonderful.

A delightful, clever and insightful story that resonates deep as we recognize ourselves at every age. So thrilled and honored to be featured together in Tapas IV. Terrific play everyone will enjoy.

This is a wonderful play and I would be prepared to recommend it to any theatre. I like the way it dispenses with conventional reality in order to reveal a deeper reality and tell a story that is universal and compelling. The character was well realised and spoke with a clear voice. I really liked the way the journey through life was symbolised by the packing of the suitcases. (NZ spelling)

Oh, what we would tell ourselves if could talk to our 18 and 45 year old selves. I saw 153 at the 7th Annual 10 Minute Play Festival at the Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette. You might think having one character played by three actors separated only by the difference in their ages would be a difficult challenge but Martin gets it right. Each "age" is distinct in its concerns making for interesting exchanges and conflict. Martin is known for his uplifting scripts sometimes set in dark places. And we all need more of that. Easy to produce. Highly recommended.

I had the honor of playing "90" in the premiere production of this play at Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette's 10-Minute Play Festival. My friendship with the author notwithstanding, I have to say it is a genuine pleasure to act in such a well-formed and confidently messaged story. Not silly or gratuitous as a storyline like this *could* be, 153 is rather a smart and sensitive story of reaching out to one's self through one's varied levels of development, challenge, and accomplishment, and offering the assurance of time healing all. Audiences were enthralled in and touched by this play.

It is no easy feat to use literal baggage to represent metaphorical baggage. It can come off as hamfisted or self-consciously clever. THIS IS HOW YOU DO THAT!

This play is perfect. Just damn perfect.

It takes the trope of one’s older self communicating with one’s younger self and turns it into an intimate, almost brotherly, power struggle. Knowledge is power and one’s middle-aged past is leverage against the naivety of one’s own youth.

153 is a beautiful paean to learning to love yourself and your mistakes and to forgive, celebrate and move on.

Wonderful, wonderful play. Martin's plays are absolutely genius and full of so much heart. There's pain and heartache, yes, and it's so deeply real--but Martin never leaves his readers and audience in that sadness. He gives us hope. His plays are such a gift and should be read by everyone, especially those who experience moments of profound darkness. Martin always reminds us that there is light--and this wonderfully written, perfectly executed script is just one example of that.

Absolutely love this play. 153 is a beautiful piece examining a character at three different stages in his life. Relatable and heartwarming. Clever and insightful. 153 will have you thinking about your own life and how your past experiences have shaped who you are and will be. This play needs to be produced everywhere. A wonderful addition to any short play festival.

My only sadness about Steve Martin's 153 is that it isn't longer. A delightful snapshot on how we look forward, and how we look back, and sometimes, how we forget. Mr. Martin illustrates in 10 minutes how we are the sum of our experiences, and calls on us to remember that how we view those experiences changes, and we along with it.

I just read 153 by Steven Martin. Whimsical and poignant and funny as it tells the story of the same character at different stages of his life communicating regrets, hope, and promises made and broken. Very short and very sweet.