←Recommendations of Lack of Moisture

Sometimes a play hits all the right notes with the perfect metaphors to match. In LACK OF MOISTURE, Debbie Lamedman uses both words and language in subtle, creative ways that make for a perfect reveal. And in exploring the nature of their marriage, this couple provides an exquisite snapshot into their broader lives that will have you thinking of them beyond the last page.

A sharp play that keeps you guessing where it is going until it lands its knockout blow. The use of crossword is clever and metaphoric, and the play makes its point without overburdening the story.

Debbie Lamedman lands a punch with the clever Lack of Moisture. The play tells the story of a marriage in wonderful dialogue and subtext. The clues in the state of this marriage are beautifully crafted and the true situation sneaks up on you. A wonderful play!

Lack of Moisture is both subtle and stunning as it unfolds the layers of a married couple's relationship. Initially, you wonder what the heck is wrong with the husband, but as it becomes clear that he is heartbroken and disillusioned, we start to empathize with his immobility. There's a lot for the actors to work with in these two characters, and I love that it uses the crossword puzzle to put the pieces of their relationship together. It's clever and insightful! Great play!!

Oh this short piece packs a wallop. A weekend away is planned. Lamedman has you thinking that Henry is a slug, but with a few clues, you discover he's a broken man. Alice, all chirpy and full of energy, tries to cover. This piece about marriage is so very realistic. A perfect two hander.

A beautifully subtly analysis of what is a marriage at a difficult stage. You find yourself feeling so sorry for Alice as she desperately tries to make their romantic weekend happen. While Henry doesn't say much he is a prime example of 'its what they don't say'. Both characters are very relatable and the piece would be a wonderful opportunity for the actors involved. A very well done short piece!

I don't think I have I ever seen a marriage so expertly, and subtly, delineated as Debbie Lamedman does here. Setting traps through an ingenious device (crossword puzzle clues), Lamedman hooks us in and then pulls the spring with vicious alacrity; we’re both stunned by how obvious it all is, and yet how surprised we are. A terrific work, and a feast for two actors.

Rarely do I find a play where the adage "read between the lines" is more apt. On the surface this short play by Debbie Lamedman seems to be just a moment in the life of a married couple getting ready to go away for a weekend: the banal chatter from her, the non-responsive shrugs and disassociation from him. But beneath that veneer there seethes thoughts, feelings, and an intensity that will make great demands of the actors. It is a powerful testimony to the idea silence can be brutal.

Someone has a clue, and it isn't about a crossword puzzle. This comic drama about the possible end of a marriage is wonderfully written, letting the audience in on it before the wife is, although it's all practically spelled out for her. A terrific little play.

Debbie Lamedman spells out the story of a dying marriage in ten short minutes. The extraordinary and inexplicable disconnect between the subservient, witty wife and the lethargic loser of a husband confounds us, but the explanation is simmering beneath the surface all along and then, finally, seven letters. A tiny but significant bubble rises to the surface, to indicate a pot about to boil over. Fantastic!