←Recommendations of A House by the Side of the Road

With "A House by the Side of the Road," Philip Middleton Williams shows nuance in humanity through the cover of a lighthearted discussion of baseball. The personality of each character comes through to create a very real and relatable dynamic between the members of this family. He layers themes and subtext in a way that's subtle yet impossible to miss. These characters develop over the course of this play in a way that leaves you wanting to read more - good thing there's 6 more plays about them!

From the nostalgia feel to the immersive dialogue, Philip expertly paints the differences in relationship these boys have with each other and with their father. It's such a beautiful that I had to read it twice. As the starting line for the series, Philip gives us so much, but without telling us. Throughout the series I kept coming back to this first show and saying, "yeah, that makes sense." A testament to the expertly delivered dialogue, the fully developed, well layered characters, and strategic plot development. Amazing!

On the surface, this is a nostalgia play about baseball and a father passing down his love for the game to his sons. But there’s also a lot more to it than that. It’s a play that celebrates being in the moment, and making emotional connections that allow you to share that moment fully with the people you care most about. I look forward to reading more of the plays in this series.

I love A House by the Side of the Road so much. Williams, with his careful grasp of subtext and natural dialogue, has crafted a strong nostalgia piece and I don't think there will be a dry eye in the theatre after this one. I love the character Clyde and wish I had a Clyde in my life when I was a kid. Thank you for writing this wonderful play, Philip. I hope to see it on stage sometime soon!

A lovely, nostalgic piece with a focus on baseball, but with a rich subtext. A father teaches understanding and encourages the best in his sons. Nicely played.

When my brother and I were in fourth grade our greatest hope was to become players for the New York Mets. It was 1986 and the world was perfect. A House by the Side of the Road takes me back to the days of playing baseball on the front lawn, dreaming of athletic stardom (that dream lasted only that year), and looking for approval from my Dad who was an encyclopedia of stats. This play has such earnest dialogue and characters plucked from every day life. I highly recommend this piece to anyone who wishes to reconnect with their youth.

I'm totally in love with Clyde! This play paints a beautiful, nostalgic portrait of father/son (and sibling brother) relationships and puts us in center field to enjoy a wonderful vignette of a simpler time in a bygone era (loved the Sandy Kofax reference). A HOUSE BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD is wonderfully real. Not every guy that comes up to bat can hit a home run, but you just did, Philip Middleton Williams!

Philip Middleton Williams is a writer who never disappoints, and A HOUSE BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD is one of his best. It's rare for a writer to make me feel nostalgic for something I've never experienced, and reading his short play transported me into this world and its many colors. The manner in which the father and sons relate to each other and to themselves is expressed so clearly in every line. And baseball itself is a character that evolves throughout the piece from something that's just 'played' into something that's imagined as well.

This is a poignant and beautiful play about fathers and sons, and how parents adapt their expectations for their children. Philip Middleton Williams deftly takes a familiar subject and gives us something completely original and unexpected. And as a former baseball fanatic, this play reminded me of what I used to love about the game.

In a series of seven short plays, Philip Middleton Williams has written a poignant father-son saga. The vignettes are in chronological order; the impact builds as you move through the story from the beginning as it follows the relationship between Clyde and his younger son, Dan. Steve, the older brother, has an important role, too, at times as Dan’s protector but more frequently as the prototypical, favored son who highlights everything Dan is not. It’s the relationship between Clyde and Dan that steals our focus and pulls at the heartstrings in this great longitudinal study of father-son dynamics.