←Recommendations of Randy's Dandy Coaster Castle

If you've ever worked in any kind of industry serving the public, this play will hit close to home. If you've ever worked in an amusement park or put on a ridiculous costume as a source of employment, you will feel seen. Perez deftly crafts the struggles of every day survival in a way that toes the line between hilarious and tragic. The characters are so relatable and three dimensional; without being didactic we see how everyone is just trying to get through the day, at the mercy of gentrification. A must see.

This is a play that is equal parts anti-capitalist screed and touching character study. Within its short runtime Alex finds room for discussing the difficulties of care work, the complexity of Cuban-American identity, and the weirdly edifying process of putting on a giant rat costume. I also got to see Alex himself in the lead role, and the guy can act, too! Unfair, I say.

I was fortunate enough to see this play at IRT. A warm-hearted, slyly funny, and deeply human story, this slice-of-life takes us into the lives of a group of employees at a scrappy amusement park and explores not only their dreams and desires, but why they choose to stay in a less-than-ideal working environment. Many scenes took me back to grunt jobs I used to work, specifically the scheduling conflicts. The final scenes are a devastating exercise in dramatic irony, especially because you’ve come to care about these characters so much. Wonderful play!

A subtle and nuanced workplace comedy with a keen eye towards the intersectional identities of its characters. Perez did an excellent job of selecting a cross section of people whose needs and wants conflicted with one another in a compelling fashion. His exploration of class, capitalism, and the mnanner in which citizens of the US so tie their identities with their jobs in ways that help and harm was thorough and interesting! I loved that it remained comedic throughout while still hitting clear and palpable gut punches of truth that stung.

One of the things I love about Alexander Perez' work is his ability to create an entire world in just a few introductory words, and continue to build and sustain that world throughout the play; maybe it's the specificity of the time and place, maybe it's the endearingly oddball characters, maybe it's the ever growing stakes... whatever it is, RANDY'S DANDY COASTER CASTLE is a roller-coaster ride of lightness and darkness, building up to one helluva drop at the end. Earned, but heartbreaking nonetheless.

In turns humorous and horrifying, gleeful and depressing, Perez crafts a play of Chekhovian style tragicomedy that takes you on a roller coaster ride culminating in an ending you may not want, but need to see.