←Recommendations of Things I Learned While Careening Toward the Center of the Universe

I love that this is a play about travel plans going sideways and ruining have-to-be-there family moments, but instead of anybody screaming, they seem to forge a bit of a friendship instead. I also really love the idea of our family being the universe we exist in. What a touching short!

Here Williams takes an out-of-this world play prompt and presents a down-to-earth script with characters you begin to care about immediately. The dialogue is as natural as you please as two stranded strangers get to know each other in the company of a very empathetic gate agent. All three reveal what the centers of their individual universes are in a work that will be a gift to any festival of short holiday plays.

I love that Paige and Marvin form a bond -- however long it lasts -- in a stress-filled moment. I also love the language and imagery that unite them and Shelly -- that the loved ones in our lives are our universe.

Williams' "Things I Learned While Careening Toward the Center of the Universe" reminds us that civility and cordiality can rise to the top when folks are under duress, and that they, in turn, lift everyone up. [24/12/01]

This liminal play could have been tense and full of angst. My favorite thing about it is that it isn't. Somehow, the action of the piece is tender, genuine vulnerability, creating an almost magical sense of connection between strangers in only ten minutes... and those strangers are rich, specific characters with relatable problems and familiar, delightful quirks! I loved getting to know them. Plus, the satisfying structure, with its heartwarming button, is a charming end to a charming piece!

How can you not like this? I found myself smiling throughout even with the bittersweet stories that are shared by the characters. But the human desire to turn an inconvenient situation into something positive is palpable here. Just the kind of feel good story we need this holiday season.

Reading this sweet Christmas/holiday play with likable characters and so much heart and warmth reminds me of drinking top-quality hot chocolate with delicious whipped cream on top, or a glass of festive eggnog, or whatever treat makes you smile during the holidays/shortest days of the year. It feels good to be left smiling after reading a play (especially these days) and this one does just that. Lovely.

This is just so relatable AND a feel good story! A platonic meet cute during the holidays just fills my soul! This is a Hallmark story for those who don't need the romance to enjoy their fellow humans during the holidays! Also STAR TREK!

11.26.24 - Like a Hallmark Christmas movie minus the sickening Hallmark stuff, Philip Middleton Williams shows us the center of his character's universes, even if we never actually see them. But they resonate just the same. I loved the dichotomy of the two respective families, with a Doppler shift of belonging taking place depending on which character you focus on. (Hey, science stuff!) This is something we can recognize about relationships and I'm happy with what Williams has invited us to see.

Absolutely love this short - hitting all the right notes with me. I'm an airline employee, a Trekker of a certain age with family flying apart, and a Hilton Diamond member (I think Philip must have access to my Alexa). So relatable and so well done. I got a bit misty-eyed at the end. It's amazing what you can get and feel from a ten-minute read when the writing is so good. Needs to be staged.

Everyone is in their own little universe and that's what makes this little play so special. A very nice and clever story for the holiday season!