←Recommendations of Everything Bagel

The young man's palpable enthusiasm is infectious. The old man's resistance is sensible but weakens with the acknowledgement of his own longing. The revelation of their real relationship is heartrending. This is a heartbreaking and profoundly truthful exploration of the losses that come with aging and one man's effort to resist them.

1/11/2025 - Wow! Talk about a powerful and thought-provoking piece. The characters and the situation they are in feels so real and the narrative went in directions, I truly was not expecting. Great roles for older actors, younger actors, and perfect for everyone to watch and enjoy. Excellent work!

Heartbreaking for an audience, regardless of whether they're someone being cared for or close to the age of being cared for, someone doing the caring or close to the age of doing the caring, or someone young enough to have a million unencumbered dreams. Cam Eickmeyer shows great understanding for all of the characters, but none of them are living their best life. It's heartbreaking.

This play was a marvel on several levels for me!
- Everything from the character descriptions through to the very last line was relatable and felt very real.
- You could feel the emotions between old man and young. The acceptance of old and the desire for adventure from the young. It was these emotions with the quick back and forth that drew me into their relationship and made me want so badly for them to go out and get coffee and bagels.
- And all wrapped in a heartwrenching ending twist.
A brilliantly captured gift for an audience.

A heartbreaker of a play cleverly executed. A bagel represents a simple but elusive pleasure that takes on a bigger meaning in the struggle between an aging man and his youthful self.

Stunning. This short piece by CAM EICKMEYER is so full of beauty, longing, and tenderness. What a wonderful reminder to live each day to its fullest before it's too late. POWERFUL.

I love plays that give us a sense of what theatre can do when the writer uses their imagination to convey a character’s psyche in interesting ways. The older we all get, the more we can relate to the young person we still feel we are on the inside, dying to break free from our deteriorating physical shell. I wanted to put this wonderful man on a donkey myself at the top of the Grand Canyon after eating an Everything bagel. Beautifully structured and oh so touching!

An inevitable part of aging is the constant struggle between how we perceive ourselves (so much younger!) and reality. In this truly poignant play by Cam Eickmeyer, we glimpse into this older gentleman’s wish for a piece of the past, something as simple as an Everything bagel and coffee at a favorite diner. And so, begins the struggle, and I was rooting for his childlike exuberance to the end!

It’s said that when a person’s time is up a frequent regret is that they didn’t go to those places they always meant to see. And a last request is often to connect to the past with the taste of an important food. EVERYTHING BAGEL, by Cam Eickmeyer addresses the weariness of OLD MAN in conflict with his younger self, who still wants what he wants even though the body isn’t as able. Eickmeyer writes with sensitivity and insight in this increasingly relevant topic. Admirable in this work is the use of geographic location.

A marvelously constructed and heartbreaking piece. Cam Eickmeyer raises our hopes before letting us in on what’s really happening. You can’t help but care for these characters and be deeply affected by their story. Any festival would be lucky to have this!