←Recommendations of Taken to School

Right at the start, there’s an unsettling feeling of being trapped. Anyone who’s been stuck in a car with a troubles or troubling parent knows this sensation in their DNA. Even though circumstance and dynamics in the play are extremely specific, that feeling will resurface.

This father son drama escalates beautifully, like a narrative police pursuit though city streets. The turns are sharp and you’re not sure what you’ll hit around the corner.

A dark and gritty examination of intergenerational power imbalance and the passing down out morality, ethics, and entitlement.

In TAKEN TO SCHOOL, John Busser cleverly shows that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. On a ride to school, a father tries to teach his teenage son a lesson about life. Turns out the son has a thing or two to teach dear old dad. There’s nothing quite like a story of father and son bonding from the mind of John Busser! And if you know John’s brilliant work, that should tell you everything you need to know!

A rather unconventional approach to fatherhood! Another winning piece by John Busser, one that deftly balances humor with an interesting lesson on hubris!

Well dear old dad sure gets taken down a peg or two. Marty seems put upon, even victimized, but he does a thorough job of turning the tables in this extremely witty portrayal of a most atypical father/son dynamic. Both roles would be fun to play and even more fun to see played.

When the writers' strike ends, I want John Busser to go to Hollywood and write the real "Afterschool Specials" like "Taken to School." It would be a real lesson for all those who think that kids don't learn from their parents. Shades of Abbie Hoffman mixed in with a little John Dillinger. John's talent for dry humor and satire is well-established and this polishes his reputation even more.

Tough love. That’s what they called it when I was a kid. It usually was an excuse for an adult to be rotten to their kid. This short play is a little bit of tough love in return. Of course, “love” is probably not the best word for what Marty and his father share. A fun bit of “turnabout is fair play.”