←Recommendations of My Brother Jake

There's a velocity and volatility to this two-hander on brotherhood that makes for a captivating read. Each character is complicated in their own way, both protagonist and antagonist. Who's directing who, who's the the star of the show, who's in control of the scene? It captures the theatricality in the relationship of many siblings that's relatable.

A beautifully observed portrait of two brothers. I loved how Jake's crisis moment puts into sharp relief the complexities of the struggle between Ethan and Jake their entire lives. Both brothers are very sympathetic characters, neither of whom are "villains," but it is also so very clear how and why their needs/wants have chafed against the other's throughout their lives. I loved how the play wound back and forth in time, each scene providing new revelations even if it was a past moment.

This is a riveting exploration of the power and the limits of the love between brothers and the fine line between care and suffocation. Jake has always been the golden boy until his world implodes, and Ethan has always been seen and treated as less than. Ethan finally gets his chance to make his way in the world, however difficult that way may be. The dynamic between the brothers is explored with tenderness and empathy that make the heartbreaking moments all the more compelling.

MY BROTHER JAKE is a gentle, elegant vivisection of the filial compass – when one's entire identity orbits the other sibling, the one you should be more like, the better one. A great example of this is ORDINARY PEOPLE. Here, Osmundsen (mercifully) eschews maternal brutality for brotherly love, but that love doesn't make things easier. The endless comparisons sting Ethan and the audience, especially one purloining of experience that's a stunner. Emotionally immersive, empathetically vast. Bravo!

A gorgeous beating heart of a play. An intimate emotional story of two brothers trying to navigate their way through the world - even if sometimes that means having to confront the family holding you back when they should be lifting you up. Rarely do I read a play that makes my heart ache and beat and breathe the way this one does.

Dave Osmundsen is one of the bravest playwrights working today, routinely addressing subject matter - the tensions within the neurodiverse community among people with varying degrees of "disability" - which others, even writers specializing in neurodiversity issues, dare not tackle. With MY BROTHER JAKE, a tale of sibling rivalry and resentment within the world of theater, Osmundsen finds a perfect vehicle for his themes. Compelling, thought-provoking, and so heartbreakingly relatable.

My Brother Jake is a poignant, raw exploration of sibling dynamics and the spectrum of experiences within the autism community. Osmundsen delves deeply into internalized ableism, personal agency, and the complexities of familial love. This play challenges perceptions while offering a powerful, emotional narrative.

Love and frustration flow both ways in this compelling sibling drama. My Brother Jake wears its True West influence with full self-awareness (Shepard's play gets cited at length by one of the twins) but you'll also find echoes of Amadeus here, if the Salieri were actively discouraged from even trying to compose. It's a moving story of the ties that both bind and chafe, the spectrum of experiences that make up the spectrum, and the need to live fully and take risks in the one life you've got.

In every Dave Osmundsen play I read or see, there’s always one line that pierces me to my core, and then stays with me forever. In MY BROTHER JAKE, it’s “I deserve a chance to fail”. MBJ is an earnest, unsparing call for us to fly close to the sun, and expand our idea of what a ‘good life’ looks like.

Osmundsen’s taut two-hander explores the problematic dichotomy of “high-needs” versus “functional” autistics and most interestingly, the fissure that distinction creates WITHIN the ND community.

This is, by far, the most nuanced depiction of autism I have ever read. Being an autistic artist myself, there is so much meat in this text to digest. From internalized ableism to brotherly dynamics, this play will truly shatter the glass ceiling for us autistic people. The play prioritizes the perspective of a medium-high support needs autistic, which gives the audience the opportunity to reflect on their own pre-conceived notions of what autism is. Beautiful work here!