←Recommendations of The Best Damn Thing

I have never felt so seen. This play accurately portrays the earnest cringe of being a teenage artist, the heartbreak of ex-best friends, and the nostalgia of the 2010s. The "show within a show" plot brings out some of the play's most laugh out loud moments, while the "reality" plot hit me right in the gut. This is such a well-crafted show that I would highly recommend to literally anyone.

A beautifully raw, theatrical piece that captures the challenge of teenage girls attempting to not only make sense of their world but also of themselves. Hanna Kime's witty and referential language creates a vivid world that is known all too well to audiences familiar (and frankly caught in) with the emerging digital subcultures of Tumblr/Twitter during the late 2000s/early 2010s. It's queer, it's fun, and it's so realy. I truly felt so enamored by THE BEST DAMN THING in a way that everyone should experience.

I love this play so much. What a wild, theatrical, gloriously messy, complicated (pun intended), well-crafted piece — there are no easy answers, nothing simple or unearned. I laughed, I cried, etc. Also don't know if I've ever read something that captures that first spark of teenage queer awakening in such a crushingly real way. Oh these girls. This play. My heart.

Teenage girls are raw, angry livewires of passion and emotion, and Hanna Kime does them justice in this dynamic two-hander. This is a writer who truly understands the dichotomy of teenage girls and the unique way that they see the world. She tells the story using language, music, and every brilliant trick in the theatrical toolbox but, unlike her playwright-protagonist, never overwrites. She trusts the audience to pick up on the subtleties of this strained relationship. It is carefully plotted, utterly hilarious, and heartbreakingly relatable. You might cringe (a lot), but for all the right reasons!

The ultimate, optimal possibly greatest thing you’ve ever seen. Funny, and painfully, beautifully truthful. In this play, there are no easy answers, whether the questions are about art, society, or relationships. Ellie and Rachel, both former friends and theatrical artists dare and inspire each other to ask these questions of society, searching and demanding answers. Both characters have been incredibly crafted to be entirely three-dimensional. Bold and brilliantly theatrical, Hanna Kime's THE BEST DAMN THING is a fantastic piece that is now on the top of my "please please please produce this so I can see it" list.

Be still my high school heart! This play is not only heartwarming and so so funny, but it perfectly captures the experience of being a teen girl who is completely inspired by another artist. And the fact that that artist just happens to be Avril Lavigne... well, that's just a fun little bonus. With beautiful moments of theatricality and a central relationship that is painfully real, this play will speak to anyone who has ever been a teen girl (and those who haven't should read it as well!). A must-produce in every high school in America.

This play is an exquisite and hilarious tour-de-force for two young women. Using bold theatrical conventions and a keen sense of humor, Hanna Kime explores the complex, confusing, manic, and heartbreaking reality of being an adolescent girl. Kime asks us to consider the ways that society pits young women against one another and female creativity against a miasma of patriarchal mediocrity. To break up the increasingly frenetic "workshopping" of this amazing musical, Kime opts for a subtle but all-too-clear turning point in the final quarter of the play. It is ambiguous but heartbreakingly evident what has happened. Excellent piece!

THE BEST DAMN THING is truly the most fitting title for this two hander. Kime develops the ultimate manic episode experience when these two young women forge an artistic collaboration and rekindle a friendship. So much care is given to the genuine expression of teenage creativity and the harsh reality of teenage society. Much like the music of Avril Lavigne, The Best Damn Thing by Hanna Kime will stick with you long after your choker gets stretched out and your eyeliner washes away. Cannot recommend enough!