←Recommendations of Taken to School

JOHN BUSSER’s ten-minute play, “Taken To School”, has all the elements of a ‘poetic justice’, with a nice twist. John never disappoints with his wonderful plays. This is no exception. I look forward to enjoying this play at the East/West Fest.

A dark comedy where the student becomes the teacher and the ne'er-do-well father gets what he deserves, and kind of loves it - John Busser's TAKEN TO SCHOOL is a winner. Love the relationship between the father and son. They each appear to operate within their own moral code, caring for each other yet defying traditional dynamics in doing so. A very fun educational experience.

Comedy master Busser hits the bull's-eye with this one, capturing the complexity and messiness of father-son relationships with poignancy, wit, and a fantastic "gotcha" moment in the end. Straddling the thin line between comedy and drama, TAKEN TO SCHOOL will fit into any playfest. Perfect title, too! Bravo, Mr. B.

John Busser takes the audience on a wild ride in TAKEN TO SCHOOL. Marty, a smart young man with technology in the palm of his hand, teaches his con man father a thing or two about taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Clearly, the son has not fallen far from the family tree. An interesting scenario with two attention-grabbing characters. This is a winner in any one-act festival.

When dads are a bad influence, the best one can do is learn from them. A clever, fast-paced adventure that literally cruises through all sorts of illegal and dangerous behavior. Wrap that around a dysfunctional family situation and you have a play you'll cheer for. A dark comedic addition to any night of short plays--this one will stand out!

Pride comes in so many shapes and sizes and it doesn't surprise me that a crook and thief and trickster would be anything less than tickled pink if he saw that some of his habits had worn off on his offspring. Busser proves the framework of your not so average father who is performing a very average action by driving his son to school. It is not the ride that either of them ever imagined possible and that's the best type of beginning to your day you can hope for, a little give here a little take there.

I'm not sure why I am cheering for Marty at the end of this play, but maybe 2 wrongs DO make a right? I bet audiences will be cheering for Marty, too. The characters are extremely well drawn and I can hear their voices very clearly in my head. Never underestimate what a bad influence can do to a smart young person!

Busser always serves up interesting premises with his work, but in this piece, he displays his talent for creating rich characters. I was lucky enough to see a staged reading of this one, and watching the actors dive into their roles was like watching kids tearing into their presents at Christmas.

John Busser's twists and turns in "Taken to School" are very enjoyable, but what I especially love about this short play is the hint of fatherly pride. Dad loves Marty, but there's a glimmer of respect shown here, too.

A wild ride for father, son and audience. John Busser has given us a funny, tension-filled two-hander with twists around every turn. Bravo!