←Recommendations of Death and the Girl

What a powerful, big play. Chillingly real and dreamlike at the same time. From its beautifully executed fluid structure, to its visceral examination of violence. It has lyrical and devatating language ("people in gas masks and those big plastic puffy suits". The Man is completely transformed by language alone.

This play is America: violence and class, media and theater. It's intellectually and artistically ambitious in all the best ways. "[F]ood just fallin' from the sky this whole time."

An intensely emotional and quintessentially American piece of theatre, Giulianna Marchese’s Death and the Girl starts in a swirling sense of unreality building to a climax that plunges you back to Earth, back to America, back to Appalachia. Staging opportunities practically leap off the page, and the play would work well anywhere from a black box to a large proscenium, from grand projections and lights and a full ensemble to two actors and a chair. The strongest part of the play is its force of tempo, poetic lineation creating a pulsing energy that reflects the protagonist’s mindset.

A pure mind-fuck of a play. Both of these characters are so complex. A very timely piece of art.

The author compels us to confront several pernicious threats to our humanity in this hypnotic, rhythmic story that seems all too relevant today. Well written and timely, there are layers to the characters and issues that are both personal and societal that will inevitably draw audiences to conversation.

Giulianna's poetic, succinct language is powered by deep, intentional research and character-building. The play's forward momentum trusts the intelligence of the audience, and we're rewarded with a complex, painful, potentially cathartic resolution. Highly recommend!!

With taut writing and searing imagery, this play avoids leveraging questions of "who dunnit?" or "why?" in favor of an unflinching investigation into our responsibilities in the face of violence. I'm grateful to be haunted by this play.