←Recommendations of Ricky and Ready

This play masterfully mixes the very funny with the deeply heart-felt as Patty's initial silliness is revealed to be a cover for her desperation. That she finally comes to share rather than run from Allyon's burden, thanks to the intercession of a librarian who has been there, is deeply moving. Get roaring drunk at brunch, ladies!

Thank goodness for librarians and empathy.

This play unfolds beautifully because of Colleen O'Doherty's skills. Patty's search and Allyson feeling aghast are humorous, then the tone turns somber as O'Doherty provides context with a single word. It grounds Patty's desperation and Allyson's frustration in something deeper than jokes about book titles.

What I especially love about "Ricky and Ready" is that O'Doherty has dramatized a life-changing moment for Patty. It's not a happy one, but it probably provides the best path ahead for her and, by lessening Allyson's frustrations, also Allyson....

This play is a beautiful journey of a mother and daughter seeing eye-to-eye, even when the audience doesn’t want them too. O’Doherty takes us from the silly self-help to sniffling by the end and I am here for it.

This short play is SO well done. Beautiful and bittersweet, a daughter helps her mother come to terms with her health prognosis. Denial is powerful, but this play gently and humorously shows a mother working her way through it and coming out the other side. Just wonderful.

This is a such a sweet and funny play - really gets the right mix of it right, and is especially poignant for tackling the issue of preemptive grief that comes from incurable illnesses.

OMG this play. So beautiful, smart, moving, and real. Highly recommend!

There are the well-known stages of grief, but the most compelling and powerful one is denial. In this funny and heartbreaking/heartwarming shot play, Colleen O'Doherty takes on denial by proxy, and the mother and daughter relationship is both challenged and strengthened as they confront the reality that is coming toward them. The blessing is that it's told in a hopeful way without getting maudlin.

Hilarious and heartbreaking, this play expertly weaves the story of a mother and daughter who have very different approaches to dealing with a devastating family illness. The play avoids any easy answers, but instead builds to a climax that leaves the audience hopeful, even when facing the inevitable. An excellent play.

A touching look at family dealing with death. I was moved by O'Doherty's characters and how they battled the cancer that was consuming the daughter. No parent should have to see their child pass before their time and the way this is explored is done in a way that brings the audience into the story. Desperation and resignation both show strength of character in mother and daughter. The librarian offering, if not a solution, then at least a way to help deal with the inevitable. Beautiful.

A dark comedy about cancer, and how to deal (or not) with the unthinkably inevitable, “Ricky and Ready” lobs quite a few punches to the gut, and does it without ever becoming maudlin. O’Doherty has written an uncompromising, yet somehow warm short play, and it’s a showcase for three actresses. Highly recommended.