←Recommendations of Verboten

Rossi's light touch makes history fresh. Characters representing a bygone era pulse with vitality and parallel modern turmoil in a way that only a thoroughly researched topic can be articulated by a masterful artist. And he can write a damn good lyric. Time with Verboten is time well spent.

I have had the pleasure of seeing the script evolve. Rossi takes on one of the most notable times in history and gives us a script that is full of heart, creativity, and music. There is joy mixed in with the pain, and it results in a heartwrenching climax. The fight for freedom is in the hearts and hands of the youth. Tyler creates characters that embody that idea, along with the idea of survival, while still helping them find way to let the rebellion continue when they feel the fight has been lost.

Some histories demand to be written about over and over again, because we as a society forget or we naively claim "it can't happen here." But this play is more than history; it documents how difficult it can be to stand up for your convictions when everything around is changing and sometimes you cannot even trust your friends to do the right thing. All of these young characters are immensely complicated and relatable, and we completely understand their difficulties with trying to figure out how best to fight oppression. This play is timeless and significant.

Music as rebellion. Music as escape. Music as salvation. Tyler Joseph Rossi's play VERBOTEN is one of the strongest plays I have ever read that uses music to its full potential. Instead of letting music be a gimmick or something to entertain musical fans, he critically examines the power music has in enacting societal and individual change. His characters are beyond realistic, so much so that their decisions draw simultaneous ire and understanding from the audience. This play will go a long way and everyone needs to see it.

"Verboten" delves into the intolerance of 1936 Germany, where any self, artistic, or religious expression is quickly becoming suspicious. The young people of Rossi's musical play are dimensional, never falling into stereotype, due to his thorough research and deft portrayals. The music and lyrics of his writing partner John Rorhkemper underscore this excellent play. A wonderful read -- easy to envision "Verboten" onstage. Well done, Tyler Joseph Rossi.

The fully realized characters and relationships bring this harrowing story to light in a world that is clouded in darkness. A darkness that has yet to reach its peak in history. We want this gang of misfits to succeed when no one outside their hideout gives them hope and that's what hit home for me. It's a piece we need to experience.

Rossi has – seemingly effortlessly – recreated the horrifying world of Nazi Germany and layered it with sharp overtones of what's happening today, and he's done it with a dazzling mix of words, music, and incredibly vivid characters. When staged, I can only imagine how much electricity the swing dancing will add to this already exciting, joyful, frightening, wonderful, and necessary script. Bravo, Tyler.

This play is joyful and horrible in two acts. The scenes in Germany are frightening because they ring of now. The characters are endearing and vicious. Let us not repeat this horror.

If you're looking for a run of the mill play about kids living normal lives, then I'm sorry, this is not the play you're looking for. If you're looking for an incredibly thought provoking play full of narrative, fleshed out characters, and true heart, then congrats, this is the play for you! Rossi commands the page, telling a story that is not only incredibly interesting, but important to tell. The world he creates, the individuality of all these characters coming together, it's astonishing.

Read this play.