←Recommendations of How About Them Dodgers

Oh, my, so many good twists and turns in just six pages. Williams covers several disruptive Florida issues in a devilish and surprising way. Kudos for such a clever way of showing how, with so many more important things going on in the world, Florida has chosen to waste its time on subjects designed to divide its residents. I hope this short play gets lots of productions.

In this delightful and (unfortunately) timely satire, we see the inevitable result of state censorship over beloved American books. Williams shows off his skill with funny dialog and ironic situations, and the twists are well-worth the wait. This is an easy one to recommend.

Thirty writers have stepped up to recommend this work. And though there's no reason to believe that my little recommendation will mean much, here it is: "How About Them Dodgers" is not prescient. Nor is it terrifying in the dystopian sense. This short work is in and of the moment. Which makes it downright tragic. America has produced some of the greatest writers and artists known to the world. And they're now forced to deal with censorship. Difficult play to read, yet necessary.

HOW ABOUT THEM DODGERS may take more than one reading or viewing to fully understand, but it serves as a timely and well-written cautionary tale about censorship in the education system.

I had the opportunity to see a reading of this play at the Midwest Dramatists Conference and both enjoyed the performance immensely while also groaning about how relevant it is (no knowledge of baseball required!). The scenario set up by this play is timeless beyond this particular political moment.

A great title, three well-drawn characters and an unfortunately too close to home situation in a foreseeable Floridian future unless plays like this get produced. And soon.

I was fortunate to see this play at the 2024 Midwest Dramatists Conference in Kansas City. You might think this is going to be a play about baseball, but you would be wrong. Instead it's a dystopian look at Florida in the near future when book banning has gotten completely out of control. Funny and thought provoking at the same time.

I saw this as a reading at the Midwest Dramatists Conference and was swept up in its relevance and humor. The dynamic between Marie, Mickey, and Officer Seth struck a great balance between upbeat transactional chatter and underlying absurdity. Philip Middleton Williams has done a lovely job creating a satirical military state not too far from the contemporary world (and idea of a drag Ron deSantis "Governess of Florida" really sent me). Great play!

My hope is that this play feels dated very quickly as many aspects of the too-crazy policies of Gov. DeSantis are attacked in this short play. The high-concept is scarily close to reality as people trade banned books and tickets to underground productions of plays. A great little comedy hoping that laughter skewers the craziness.

Phillip Middleton Williams has written a delightful and yet thought provoking play about the cost of book banning. This is not a beat you over the head messge, but it's message is clear and the satire is razor sharp. Highly recommended