←Recommendations of This Is Not Your Tragedy

If Willy Wonka ran a game show, I think it would look a little something like this remarkably observant, occasionally kooky play, with its quicky journey toward a heartfelt payoff! In it, we're treated to three discrete stories about those who take on guilt, those who adopt the trauma of others, and those who ignore their trauma and deny a part of who they are. The action of the play reveals who each individual really is and, ultimately, each one get what they deserve. A truly unique concept!

Several geological ages ago there was a game show called "Queen for a Day." Ladies would come on stage and tell their tragic story, and the most piteous, voted by an audience applause meter, would be showered with gifts, a crown, and set on a throne. Miranda Jonte has turned this idea into a genuinely satirical look at how we deal with our all-too-human nature to wallow in someone else's suffering, and in doing so, turns the light on us. Funny at the outset, but humanly true at the end.

The short satire of a game show starts out funny and then turns surprisingly poignant by the end. What a clever concept, beautifully executed.

12.21.24 - Miranda Jonte throws us quite a curveball with this dark satire mixing game show culture with our overwhelming desire to rubberneck the train wrecks that we are subjected to. Reeling us in with a gallows humor styled MC, we are laughing through the tragedy. We feel for these people so much that when the truth of the matter manifests, we are so invested in that we want the tragedy averted. Wonderful writing.

We all have those moments were we pause and think about what we're doing with our life or if what we're doing is really what we should be doing and this play really hits home for anyone questioning their life decisions at any time because sometimes we just need that pause in life either by force or choice that makes us reflect upon things with a little more clarity as if a spotlight suddenly is shining bright and center stage for you to step into.

Disarmingly wacky until it hits you in the feels. This will be so beautiful to stage!

What at first feels like an unnerving send up of 1970s game shows, becomes a whirlwind of accountability and heartfelt reckoning. Miranda Jonte writes with such passion that it is hard to not get swept away by the sheer force of her evocative language. As the “game shows” presses on, the stakes for the contestants become more keenly harrowing. This is a powerful play that sets a juxtaposition of frivolity and depth.