←Recommendations of New Year’s Eve at the Stop-n-Go

“New Year’s Eve at the Stop-n-Go” is about a group of friends coming of age amidst the Y2K panic of 1999. This play had me hooked from the character descriptions at the beginning all the way to the end of the play. I couldn’t put it down. I found the characters to be relatable and genuine, and the dialogue was stirring and precise. This is easily one of my favorite plays on the New Play Exchange.

When the clock turned us into the new millennium, I was just young enough to not have to worry about it. The same cannot be said for Oty's fun cast, who must face not only the clock, but the hardest transition of all, graduating from high school. This is a nostalgic journey about coming of age, figuring out what you want from life, and the realization that some friends might not stay friends forever. Just like good gas station candy, it's bittersweet and full of verve.

This play takes me back. Remembering the angst of not knowing what to do after school and the "sort of" friends we make that we leave when life calls. This is one of those shows that feels like Bogosian's "Suburbia" or Weller's "Moonchildren" where the world comes crashing down on a character without direction. If you're in college and want to do a show where you get to play your age and your emotions, this one will probably work for you. Good work!

I enjoyed this tight, intimate, dark piece about a group of friends in small-town Michigan contemplating the future on the eve of a new millennium... or possibly an apocalypse. What starts off as a nostalgic, atmospheric, character-driven piece turns into a high-stakes, fast-moving, very urgent play. There is so much smart foreshadowing throughout the script, with pay-off after pay-off taking place at the perfect moment. It's also a single-set, one-act play, making it simple to produce for venues with a range of budgets. Look at this one if you need complex roles for college-aged performers. Nice work!

For those of us old enough to remember this strange time to be alive, when the fear of both computers and the world shutting down at midnight as we fell forward into the dreaded 2000s, this play is highly nostalgic. With the end of the 90s already setting a disquieting tone, the characters themselves are taking a tremulous step forward in their respective lives, despite the uncertainty of what may or may not lie ahead after midnight.

Samantha Oty has crafted a darkly comic, multi-layered time capsule that will leave a lasting impression on any audience.

New Year’s Eve at the Stop-n-Go is an excellent look into the life of a group of friends in a small town. The characters are believable, and the development of each can be seen on the stage. The plot was sturdy, but the characters are the star of the show.