←Recommendations of OFF THE PALISADES PARKWAY

Why did any of us really make the choices we made as high schoolers? The answers were probably simple, but the reasons those particular answers were the answers couldn't be more complex and layered. Malakhow's beautiful portrait of four youths colliding over the course of several days in Northern New Jersey is stellar in every way. Most exciting, however, is the ensemble of characters Malakhow provides for young actors to dive into, giving them a chance to tackle truly grounded, feeling people their own age. Highly recommend, especially if you're new to his work. It's a fantastic place to start.

I was lucky enough to work as a Dramaturg on the 2020 Ithaca College production of OFF THE PALISADES PARKWAY and fell in love with the play. It gives a peek into the lives of often ignored adolescents trying to survive high school. Malakhow's writing really shines in moments of sincerity between characters. I also really admired how the teenagers are treated with respect, and their moments of vulnerability were never the butt of the joke. Would love to see this on the stage!

Can't wait to see this play produced. An exquisite fly on the wall look into what it's like being young and trying to fit in.

In OFF THE PALISADES PARKWAY, Nick Malakhow perfectly captures the clashing, crashing worlds of teenagers from neighboring towns but different social and economic strata. Set in a particular time (1999) and place (Northern New Jersey), Malakhow’s script is nonetheless universal, specific to its time yet up-to-the-minute in its vitality; I particularly loved the specific and distinct language he has given his characters, so right for who they are, the era in which they’re living, and the problems they are facing. An exceptional work from an exceptional playwright.

Growing up in New Jersey is hard. Growing up as a woman of color in New Jersey is even harder. Off The Palisades Parkway is a 21st-century bildungsroman exploring the growing pains that comes along with being of color in diverse but essentially segregated neighborhoods. What does it take for us to feel desirable, lovable, and good enough when the "standard" is so impossibly far from what we are? Reminded me of how hard, confusing, weird, intense, amazing, and unforgettable high school was.

Off The Palisades Parkway reminds us that the choice between doing what should and doing what you want is more complicated than it should be. So is the choice between fitting in and being yourself, especially when racial divides and budding sexuality are thrown in. The intensity of the characters' feelings and the sincerity in the voices are beautiful reflections of those tumultuous high school relationships, and the mistakes they make, however painful, are deeply human.

Nick Malakhow has a way of revealing humanity when he writes, and this play is no exception to that. Every character has such a depth and you want to keep spending time with them, even as you cringe when they hurt each other. I love this honest look at teenage characters, which doesn’t judge them, and takes them all as people in an extraordinary way.

Malakhow has a gift for character voice. From the very first line, you are pulled in and placed back to those moments of growing up that make this piece so special. All of this is highlighted by the intense connection these characters have. The friendships feel deep, the connections are tangible, and it is all held together by amazing craft. It feels messy the way high school relationships felt. This work is so raw and is exceptional because of it. This play is all truth, from beginning to end.

A stunning, intimate portrait of the complexities of teen relationships, never played for sentiment or laughs, but always unerringly honest, raw, and impactful. Malakhow's mastery of character brings us four fully-formed, highly-flawed young people who will all be much better off in their twenties, but just have no way of knowing that just yet. The politics of friendship, high school, and identity all come to the fore, where conflicting narratives threaten to crush this struggling group beneath its weight. Honest, loving, breathtaking work. A true joy to read.

Malakhow's clear ease with expressing the basic yet tangled and obvious yet subtle emotions of young people continues to astonish me. In this piece the writer takes on the fraught divisions of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation in ways that are never superficial or preachy but are rather informed by a considered engagement with the struggles of young people trying to navigate their identities and manage their relationships in a complicated world. The dialogue is always natural yet cuts to the heart of who these people are. Another impressive work by this writer.