←Recommendations of On This Site in 1782

As someone happy to sit under a tree and wonder about all those things the tree witnessed, Plumridge’s play fills all the gaps. I love that “nothing happened” has been turned upside down to reveal that something DID happen and indeed - something is always happening. A play about the lively connections that go unnoticed but are there - even if a stone does not commemorate that.

This feel-good play is a crowd pleaser with multiples angles that fit together! There are so many fun opportunities for actors in this play. Any theater company would easily find their audiences falling in love (no pun intended) with it.

We all read those little blurbs in our news that on this date such and such happened. Things that were great or not so great, but just a bit of history to remind us that we have not come as far as we had hoped or thought we had. I love this play and the way Plumridge gives us two plays that happened on a particular site and how in the end, connectivity is something that we depend upon as humans and that connection from our present to the past that will carry us into our futures.

This is such a great idea scenario; two short plays interlinked by location - each play with fully rounded characters, humour, warmth and super stories. In fact, so rich are each half of the work that they could easily be longer in their own right, but it is the connection that makes this duo work. Christopher Plumridge creates characters so well, so complete and here you have just that. A real gem!

I love this concept. So creative. Chris Plumridge tells not one but two different, interesting stories in two different time periods in a place where supposedly nothing happened. Brilliant. I see a full series of “nothing happening” tales in this same location. Perhaps the Bear will visit?

I may have a new favorite Plumridge play.

One of my favorite plays in Richard Greenburg's THREE DAYS OF RAIN: the second act takes place 35 years prior to the events of the first, the past bringing unexpected poetic resonance to the present.

Plumridge captures the same poetry here, only between totally unrelated incidents 242 years apart that take place in the same field on a day where historically "nothing happened." It's on those globally insignificant days when seismic personal events occur.

Plumridge gives us delightful characters, surprising theatricality, and relentless joy in this bifurcated confection.

An honest example of the dreams we humans have. This would be a fun show to see performed.

The nothing that happens on this site in 1782 is a sight to behold. Daffy Fergus is a genius before his time. The contemporary scene preceding Fergus's grand adventure is warm and funny and full of deft twists. Together they suggest this site, as well as this play, is filled with magic.

Delightful. The first scene is heartwarming, charming, and still funny. Then we get more of an absurdity in the "second half" and that's a winner as well. I laughed heartily, imagining it being staged. Plumridge always has a way with comic timing and phrasing in his work, and this one is no exception. Much happens in this short play, and it's all enjoyable.

This is an absolute charmer! Two scenes, a couple of centuries apart, each with delightful characters. The first, in modern times, will tug at your heartstrings. The second, two and half centuries earlier, will tickle your funny bone. And the connection between the two is sure to bring a smile to your face. After reading this you’ll want to head off to the Duck and Dog or your nearest pub to raise a pint or two to Chris Plumridge. Well done!