←Recommendations of Backyard Stonehenge, Reclaimed

“Backyard Stonehenge, Reclaimed” is a comedic gem that turns a suburban spat over stolen stones into a delightful dance of dialogue. Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn’s pen paints Mrs. Ferria with the spunk of a sitcom star, while Jude provides the perfect pinch of practicality. A garden-variety quarrel escalates into an early morning escapade of elderly empowerment. It’s a lighthearted look at lawn law, and order that proves even the pettiest squabbles can pave the path to punchlines.

I don't know how a third entry in the Backyard Stonehenge saga would work, but I hope we get it. Again, Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn infuses her work with oodles of heart, and reminds us not to despair over the hardships life gives us, but to appreciate the people who love us enough to help us through them.

I love Floyd-Priskorn's Faye Ferria. She is an iron lady, just like her last name suggests. And I say good for her. Good for her not to let her neighbors get away with stealing, good for her to say that retirement homes are places "where old people go to be forgotten," good for her to stand up for herself.

"Backyard Stonehenge, Reclaimed" may be a litmus test, showing who you are depending on who you side with more. There's nice depth in this 10-minute play because of Floyd-Priskorn's skill. I'd love to see it staged in repertory with "Backyard Stonehenge."

"Backyard Stonehenge, Reclaimed" successfully engages the audience with its well-drawn characters and meaningful themes. The authentic dialogue and humor in the play make it relatable, capturing the challenges of caregiving and the delicate balance between independence and assistance.

I feel Jude’s frustrations. I worry for Mrs. Ferris’s well being. I want to build a small stone henge with stolen paver stones. Jackie Floyd-Priskorn paints a brilliant picture of the early morning antics of a cantankerous elderly woman and her young caretaker. A hoot and a half. Perfect to pair with its predecessor.

BACKYARD STONEHENGE, RECLAIMED really hit home to me as we're currently acting as caretakers of aging relatives. The characters are sharply drawn and relatable - I feel as though I've known MRS. FERRIA for quite some time. Perhaps that is due to the universal truth this piece is set in - the unwanted inevitability of life getting to the point where assistance is needed. The loving relationship between nephew and aunt is both moving and necessarily awkward. Very well done!

I love the early line: “Will you stop with the rocks?” At the outset of the deceptively complex and wonderful BACKYARD STONEHENGE, RECLAIMED seems like a conflict of tasks. Jude wants to take Mrs. Ferria to her morning doctor’s appointment and Mrs. Ferria wants to reclaim landscaping stones the neighbors took from her. But the real battle is over time - a recurring motif in the Jacquelyn Priskorn’s work. “First thing in the morning” for Mrs. Ferria is earlier than it is for TJ and Kendra, whose neolithic designs are foiled by their elderly neighbor. Fine work!

There comes that point in life where we know that as we get older we may loose some of the capabilities to take care of ourself the way we need to be taken care of and MRS. FERRIA is at that point in her life where her nephew realizes this a little more than she does. Losing that independence has go to be one of the most frightening situations in our life where we don't want to become just a part of the old people zoo and this play shines a black light on that very real fear.

Does everyone have at least one relative that screams in the middle of a quiet street about how somebody ELSE is making a scene or are we just lucky?

A fun, effervescent companion to BACKYARD STONEHENGE. This time the empasis is on multigenerational family obligation. Mrs.Ferria a/k/a isn’t a pistol so much as a cannon and Jude (age/gender/ethnicity not specified so there’s great wiggle room in casting) is long suffering but stalwart. The complaints volley back and forth as this escapade of gardening counter-larceny unfolds. The payoff is a win-win for everybody!

What a worthy successor to the charming "Backyard Stonehenge." Underneath Mrs. Ferria's comic obsession with regaining her "stolen" stones at an ungodly early hour of the morning lies the unspoken fear of a woman afraid of losing control of her life as she ages. Mrs. Ferria is attended by her long-suffering nephew who is a model of decency and compassion, but who wants her to take steps to deal with the effects of her aging. This play moves from a comedic set up to a moving conclusion, followed by a kicker reference to the earlier play.