←Recommendations of Brave People

A hilarious short play with a lot of heart. Staples has found humor in one of the hardest moments a couple may have to go through. I really hope all works out for these two.

What an intimate moment to put onstage! I enjoyed how difficult it would be to go through this, and the humor really helps move the play forward so that they can manage the difficulty. It actually felt alarmingly funny - like the humor is so heightened because the moment is so hard. An amazing way to tell this story.

This play captures the aftermath of a horrible moment, asking, in unison with its characters, a painfully simple question: Now what?

Using honesty and humor, both equally sharp, they navigate a conversation filled with rage, fear, and shock in the exact way people who love each other communicate without filters. Nicole tempers fear with ferocity. Ben is the ideal husband for a difficult day, taking risks with jokes that are great when they succeed and even better when they don't. Truly sublime.

So sweet yet so raw at the same time. The tension stays but allows room for alleviation. It's disheartening (to say the least) to receive a cancer diagnosis. The beauty of this play is that its singular focus on the moment one receives said news allows the audience to be still in time with these characters, making the emotional impact of the play that much stronger.

It almost felt wrong that I was in the room. Like, ‘who invited me into this beautifully intimate and delicate and raw conversation between partners at likely the most critical moment of their lives together…?’

What a brilliant doctor. To give these two the gift of this time together.

And what a brilliant playwright. To invite us to bear witness.

To their strength.