←Recommendations of There's Nothing to See Here So Just Move Along Already!

12.27.24 I love a good murder (or is it) and a couple with an ambiguous relationship. What Scott is so good at is finding and keeping the love between people, no matter their current status. In Bill & Pats we have a playful, knowing, respectful relationship, professionally & personally, which makes their distance so bittersweet for the audience. Toss in a FABulous cause-of-death reveal so goony-bird-loony, and a fully rounded story you have. Brava.

Who but Scott Sickles could combine a gruesome death scene, two investigators whose divorce is so recent their conversation is intimate but awkward, a phone opened by putting it in front of the corpse's face, a porch pirate, critical discussion of boxed turkey stuffing, and hilarious sound effects, and bring a convoluted mystery to a satisfying conclusion in just ten minutes? I hope it gets into a lot of holiday festivals. Audiences won't have seen anything like it. Bravo!

How could a premise (and execution) so supremely funny leave me feeling so gosh darn SAD? It's a mystery! It's a comedy! It's a tale of yearning! It's even a holiday play...with a grisly murder in it! All to say, there's more than enough going on to keep any audience member engaged, regardless of their prefered genre, which is a true master feat! I think my favorite aspect was the chemistry between Bill and Pats, and the ways they fit into one another so easily. A truly unique holiday short!

There's a lot that is revealed in this holiday mystery and not just with how did the body on the stage meant his or her demise (which is truly funny.) The real power of this play is the relationship between Bill and Pats which is ever-evolving between what they used to have to where they are today and the power of how two people can continue to act towards the other even after such a relationship dynamic has shifted and morphed which in the end is real holiday magic.

This is such a great little mystery that had me relating a little bit too much with the victim! But the relationship between Bill and Pats is delightfully at an arms length, yet still so warm and layered. A blood covered, nostalgic holiday piece! Also reinforcing that porch piracy is a dangerous crime!

12.21.24 - Don't be fooled. There's plenty to see here, so DON'T move along. Take in this witty, gently humorous dark comedy by Scott Sickles. We have a murder, or do we? A frayed relationship, or is it? Doctored stuffing, which frankly doesn't need it. Lots of things here look one way, but could turn out to be another, which is the beauty of this short. Nothing is obvious, and that's what keeps us intrigued. A perfect holiday gift.

It's Christmas, so it must be time for another Scott Sickles' holiday celebration spectacular....or is it? In fact, this tear at your heartstrings short is a holiday play and so much more. A whodunnit AND a what-happened to the Christmas turkey dinner, that must be solved before the feasting can begin. A beautifully layered piece that begins with blood and ends with acceptance. Bravo!

Is it murder or just a klutzy corpse-to-be? [Dun-dun!] Ripped from the headlines, or at least from the annals of "CSI" meets the first half of "Law & Order," Scott Sickles gives us a mystery to solve and Christmas Eve dinner to prepare. As with all of his works, nothing is left to chance and the cleverness abounds. Throw in a touch of punctured romance and regret and it's the perfect crime-story. Or is it? Tune in to the podcast and find out!

Oh my gosh. This short. There's been a murder, and as two law enforcement exes try to work out what happened, they discover the greatest gift to a sound designer ever, which reveals what happened and also had me in stitches. Then just a page later, the characters are commenting in a really beautiful, bittersweet way about how difficult it is after breakups, when you're left with all these people you love, but aren't really allowed to love. Within a PAGE of each other. Scott Sickles is a master.

Christmas Eve alone can be a bit of a drag, but luckily some law enforcement officials have a project to keep them occupied. This play odd a whodunnit turned howdunnit while two former partners awkwardly navigate the new normal. As ever, Scott Sickles proves to be a master of character painting and scenario building.