←Recommendations of Everybody Hates This Place

Everybody Hates This Place is meaningful and feels deeply personal. It’s easy to root for Evan, the passionate protagonist crusading for a revival of his beloved Riverton. He makes compelling, cogent arguments. W.C. is well drawn, a worthy opponent to Evan’s noble plans. Given the nature of the debate, it would be easy for the dialogue to drag – it doesn’t. Richter keeps us engaged, and the occasional intrusions from the barista and Marisa inject welcomed fresh perspectives. My personal affinity for so-called Rust Belt cities makes this excellent, important story, for me, even better.

Small towns and cities like the Riverton of this play are dying out all over, and with it a way of life. This play asks questions about that which I don't often see addressed in theatre. How will small towns survive, and should they? What is the role of place in our life? What is our duty to our places of origin? How do we realize our ambitions within the confines of our homes towns--or do we leave? Is loyalty to be valued? A beautiful, timely piece of drama I would love to not only see but discuss afterward too.

Having lived in every corner of this country from small towns to big towns you run into the characters of Riverton, Pennsylvania everywhere. Richter takes us to such place, builds an engaging and entertaining culture that forces the audience to ask themselves, am I stuck? Throw in Adam Richter's incredible dialogue capabilities and rich authentic characters and well, I'm surprised that no one has commissioned Adam to turn this into a full-length play, there are plenty of avenues for extension. Great play, highly recommend.

This battle between a bitter, prickly realist and an idyllic, hopeful dreamer hits some really sharp notes: how does one want to be remembered by their hometown, what is anyone’s responsibility to their fame, can you get a good cup of coffee outside a big city…? What I love most about this script is that Richter doesn’t give us the answers, nor does he give us a conveniently happy ending. Just one with a glimmer of hope. And that’s, well… perfect.

W.C. will tell her story as one of survival, having to free herself from a town too far deep into the pit of failure. Evan will tell his story of how Riverton has hope and that there are untapped dreams that could nourish the local residents. This play touches on the idea of change, asking if it's something that can only be attained with the best of opportunities. W.C. and Evan teach us that if you have a lot to offer, decide whether you want to share that with your town or with the world.