←Recommendations of The Alchemist's Gambit

Save the endangered alchemists!
With it's cartoon-like mad scientist and his subject- a man who'd prefer not to have his brain picked, this Frankensteiny farce is perfect for a dark and stormy night.

Heyman writes a fun and fresh take on this laugh-out-loud farce. I really liked the world-building and how these characters were woven into the story and the world itself. This short play would be an excellent opportunity for actors, directors, and designers to take Heyman's work and embark on a hilarious journey for audiences to savor!

Look, vaguely European mad scientists are just misunderstood, okay? They have a lot of feelings.

Heyman sends up the mad doctor trope with hilarity and whimsy, pitting the former against an alchemist with wit aplomb. This world would be so much fun for actors, designers, and audiences alike, and would truly be a delightful addition to any short play festival. A fantastic exchange of words (and captivity?) that's worth your attention.

I love the vague accents and the brandishing of the handsaw! This is a very silly ode to marriage which is the heart of the comic impulse. It will be hilarious to see performed!

What do you do when you fall into the hands of a mad scientist and you're firmly bound to his operating table? Any gambit you can think of. Will our traveler talk his way to his freedom, or is he fated to have his brain dissected, er, bisected? You must wait to the end to find out. A hilarious send-up of a familiar horror-movie situation that asks the eternal question, do even mad scientists have ethics? It'd be equally enjoyable for audience and actors alike.

Take one mad scientist, one alchemist traveller, a dark and stormy night in a castle, and you have hilarious perfection! Lots of fun to be had with characterisation, set and lights, in all this is a lot of silly, clever fun! Mwha ha ha!

Absolutely hilarious send up of mad scientist horror films! The lighting and sound designers would have a blast with this! Not to mention the actors! I was laughing out loud throughout, even like a mad scientist!

Homunculi! Homuncula! Homunculi! Homuncula-ha-ha-ha! I love a good mad scientist romp! This is a fun play that highlights the best tropes of the mad scientist genre while giving us a lovely spin on hostage negotiation!

Halloween good times to be had with THE ALCHEMIST’S GAMBIT. Really enjoyed Sam Heyman’s farcical take on a mad scientist, especially Traveller’s outrage at being paired with Dr. Hassenpfeffer (not the sharpest surgical tool in the draw). And to be honest I love work that contains the word homunculus! Great humor in this piece. The puns are well executed. The jokes had me laughing out loud. Bravo!

"The Alchemist's Gambit" is a wonderfully silly, over-the-top romp that's a perfect Halloween two-hander for any actors. Heyman keeps the dialogue fast and sharp as the traveler, strapped to a table, has to negotiate their way out of an unexpected brain operation by the matricidal (but not wholly unethical) Dr. Hasenpfeffer. I love this sendup of old horror movies, but it really had me at the introduction of a "comically large handsaw." Bravo!