←Recommendations of The Waterfall

I had the joy of seeing a production of The Waterfall at WP Theater. This is a riveting family drama that drops us right into the heart of the mother-daughter relationship and keeps us close and warm for the entire duration. A tight, smart, loving, and excellently-paced picture of two generations and everything that was lost and gained between them. Spellbinding stuff.

THIS is how you write a family drama, and/or a two-hander for that matter. A touching, raw, almost-too-real exploration of a mother/daughter relationship, "The Waterfall" hits in waves (no pun intended). It's about family, but also about Haitian culture, but also about immigrant parents, but also about choices, but also about nature versus nurture, but also, but also, but also...

You know what? It's so rich I'm off to read it again to make sure I didn't miss anything. And you should too.

"The Waterfall" is a touching exploration of Haitian American family life. After her mother, Emi, suffers from a health scare, Bean shows up to provide much-needed caregiving. As questions about Bean's professional life and relationship status come to the fore, the play raises thought-provoking questions about what children owe to pay off the sacrifices their parents made. I loved reading this play, and the themes stayed with me long after reading it. Would love to see a full production!

A wonderful exploration of a mother and daughter confronting aging and what the future of their family might look like. Both characters leap off the page and would be a delight for performers to inhabit and bring fully to life. A beautiful read that deserves a full production soon!

What begins as a familiarly fraught mother/daughter dynamic expands into a poignant and gorgeous exploration of cultural heritage, old country values vs. American values, the nebulous promise of the American dream, motherhood, and the sacrifices immigrants make for a better life. But despite these heavy topics, Pharel’s play is warm and funny throughout. Much of this is owed to her characters—mother Emi and daughter Bean—who always feel real, specific, and human. Lovely work!

I'm floored by the universe of staging choices that could spring from this gem of a script. A dreamlike text in which questions of our debt to our ancestors, the responsibilities of freedom, and the difficulty of knowing what we truly "want" can be explored through these two complex, loving, human characters. Gentle and vicious in the way only family can be.

A brilliant two hander that dives into mother daughter relationships and the joys and trials of first generation children striving to connect with their parents. Funny, heart warming and moving, with stunning metaphorical imagery throughout. I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t put it down.

A great two-hander about the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters.