←Recommendations of The Dog

The use of language and rhythm are always just stunning, dizzying, when it comes to Soltero-Brown. That's on full display here, as the situation twists and spirals in surprising, shocking ways. One notices in particular the evolution and/or devolution of the pejorative, and that perhaps gives a clue as to what is occurring. Or does it? It's what is admirable about the work... it keeps you pondering. It's truly fascinating traveling along this path. Leading to triumph? Ruin? One wonders, marvels.

THE DOG is a first-rate example of the wonder that is Ricardo Soltero-Brown’s dialogue. Always authentic, often absurd, and laced with a sense of heightened desperation. Characters A and B, like most of us, want to be seen, needed, noticed. There’s the unseen titular dog who probably wants the same things and ends up acting out in unsettling ways. There’s so much more to discover than one reading permits. Good thing it’s a fast read. Would absolutely love to see this on stage.

This whimsical and thrilling play proves that dogs are truly man's best friend. Richard Soltero-Brown writes with precision yet still leaves room for exploration. Feelings, like needing to be accepted and needing love, compliment (and contradict) each other at various moments, making the innerworkings of these characters reveal themselves piece by piece throughout the play. This would be a clear standout in any theater company who will produce it.

This actually feels like a psychological horror film. Dog lovers will be absolutely shaken by this play. I love how the escalation of their cursing using different F words from scene to scene until it becomes the true bomb, just like the situation they find themselves in. This whole play is almost an open scene, without really knowing much about the 3 characters beyond their feelings for each other or the dog. Which opens this up to many different ways to stage this and that makes this exciting.

A very layered and complex piece, in a way that subversively challenges the audience. The dissection of the central relationship of two unnamed characters is provoked both metaphorically and literally by the titular dog, who is a fascinating character despite being unseen and only heard on select occasions. There's a swath of subtle themes that grow and escalate in intriguing ways. It's really all very fascinating!

Words matter. So do pauses and the space between the words. Ricardo Soltero-Brown proves yet again that his plays use those truths so that we take the dialogues, monologues and the moments far beyond face value. Listening to two unnamed people share their lives and the reaction of a dog, you find yourself filling in the spaces and the moments in anticipation, waiting for the next word, beat, silence, and moment. I could not stop reading it, and on stage it would be riveting.

While any dog presence automatically makes me think about Edward Albee, this play feels like a modern-day cousin to Albee's writing by way of Pinter. Subtext galore and rich, meaty monologues for each character to dive into. Soltero-Brown tackles love - both romantic and cynophilia - and how interwoven and complex our emotions for each other and our four-legged-friends can be.

Oh, fark! I've a lot to learn from Ricardo Soltero-Brown's play THE DOG, especially in regard to the dialogue. He weaves a captivating narrative exploring the complexities of love and relationships. A and B engage in a fast-paced dialogue that skillfully avoids addressing fundamental issues. (I "love" the motif of blindness, especially in plays.) Useful things, tails. Clear. This play's strength lies in the juxtaposition of their verbal obfuscations with the Dog's direct and violent response. Fascinating. Sharp monologues. I just might need to re-read it!

Big fan of both of C's monologues, particularly the line about remembering the first dog you ever saw.

So much plays under the surface of the halting dialogue between A and B. Their inability to speak the plain truth and to address the issues before them is wittily rendered. The Dog's direct and violent response juxtaposes ironically with their verbal obfuscations. There is no place for the primal in A and B's world.