←Recommendations of OPTIONAL BOSS BATTLE

Superb, superb writing. Such a deep exploration of the aching vulnerability of teenage boys, especially this pair of them, each struggling to stay afloat as the world around them recedes at every angle. I'm incredibly happy I read this play. You will be, too.

Profound and affecting: an unsentimental yet tender story of humans fumbling toward growth, set in an all-too-vivid historical moment when everyone was plagued with fear and fatalism and a terror of interpersonal contact.

Malakow has a gift for crafting authentic teenagers dealing with big world problems. A heartfelt look at adolescence in the time of social distancing, and finding connection when it's nearly impossible to connect. A beautiful story crafted with empathy and heart.

This play offers such a heartbreakingly tender window into a world of young men finding their way, not just to each other, but to their best selves, it feels a privilege to be on the journey with them. Though their obstacles are very specific - being queer, being young, being thwarted by the pandemic, being overwhelmed by mental health issues, being terrified of everything I just mentioned, their humanity is universal. OPTIONAL BOSS BATTLE crackles with authenticity, right down to the kind but powerless teacher. Get this play out into the world!!

Nick Malakhow is incredibly gifted for writing complex characters with depth and authenticity. And in this full-length, he places the story in covid-era times and provides such an engaging work about the intersections of sexuality, internalized homophobia, and mental health. Especially poignant are the themes of connection between the queer teens and their mothers, navigating the ways we can be vulnerable and strong together. There are also exciting production elements to this play that theatre artists will love to explore about living our realities in an online fantasy world.

I always know I'm in for a powerful journey whenever Malakhow takes me "to school." The writer has such an instinctive grasp of characters at these crucial ages and their struggles dealing with their peers and their own identities. This piece's setting during the height of Covid adds another layer. We've all read a few Covid-related plays by now, but this is the first one I've read that makes such a vital connection between the stifling dread of lockdown and a character's self-imposed psychological shutdown. I look forward to seeing how this play progresses as it is already very strong.

Like most of Malakhow’s work that I’ve read this play brims with tenderness, darkness, hilarity and sorrow in equal measure. Capturing this moment we’re all in while not languishing in it, all from the specific perspective of two realistically drawn queer teenage boys finding connection through isolation, Malakhow’s play shows the small victories of persevering through hardships by being honest and vulnerable.

I’m still new to Malakhow’s work, but I can easily say his gift for creation is nothing short of astounding. His characters leap effortlessly off the page, fully formed before the first line. Here, his tale of young men searching and grasping for perseverance and purpose amidst traumas both personal and unexpectedly global is simply beautiful, and crests to moments that are moving, vulnerable, and so so earned. If you read only one thing set in the backdrop of this crazy time, let it be this piece. My eye will be on it for years to come.

What a beautiful piece! Ruben and Alonso are teens nominally doing school on Zoom with tech-challenged and/or clueless teachers and admins, while hiding out in or dealing with: online multiplayer games, major family stuff, class issues, and the work of growing up. This script dives below the surface of teen life. You're not sure, just like in life, if Al and Ruben will make disastrous choices or if they'll survive. The beauty of the piece, what makes it touching and true, is in seeing them fighting through to a kind of okay. Because that's enough to keep going on.