←Recommendations of This Is Not the Cotswolds and You’re Not Cameron Diaz

This comedy of delirious miscommunication is great fun. Tom and Jerry blithely sail along, each certain that they are having the same conversation when that could not be further from the truth. I have to wonder what their conversation will be like once their new hearing aids are in.

It takes a relentlessly smary playwright to write something this relentlessly silly! It might take audiences a minute to pick up on what's going on, but once they do, it's an engaging tennis match as they translate both sides of the conversation. You'd expect this little scene to end in a flaming car wreck, but no - there is so much unspoken love and trust in this relationship that it works itself out, leaving the audience with faith that future conversations will go much better! What a hoot!

Add a hearing deficit to the distractions of a crossword puzzle and a beached whale and... well, this happens. The rehearsal process for this piece will be a blast as everyone figures out what Tom and Jerry each thought they heard. The couple has a wonderful lived-in feel – we know them for three pages but they've known each other forever. Through fragments of misunderstood dialogue, Williams provides pointillism of a life well-loved. And some of the misshearings are truly wince-worthy. A joy!

There's a whale on the beach, and Tom and Jerry are expecting a pretty important package ... Feels like a Williams classic, a tale of a longtime couple never very far apart, even though they're also never on the same page. A great showcase for a couple of your favorite veteran performers in your acting troupe.

Being partially deaf I can certainly relate to this clever, subtlely funny play! The conversation trips along a pace, has lots of misunderstandings yet still somehow makes sense! Love it!

[2025-12-16]
This play is a waterfall, each line cascading into a new misunderstanding that leads to its own confusion. I love how Philip Middleton Williams plays with language in this delightful short comedy that shows a couple who don't need to speak to communicate their love for each other. But we, the audience, are better for it that they do, producing laughs in the process.

I envy Tom and Jerry in this winding, wending comedy. There's very comic misunderstandings that drive the script, sure (I cackled throughout a virtual reading of this play). But my takeaway is that it's clear Tom and Jerry are completely at ease with one another and on the same wavelength. And that's nice to see. Kudos to Williams on letting these two navigate the least likely path to end up exactly where they need to be.

This short comedy about a couple mishearing each other is very clever and never slows its pace. It reminds me of an old timey comedy routine in the best way. Tons of fun with language!

You've never seen Tom and Jerry like this! In all seriousness, this is a hilarious and clever play. As the conceit of "This Is Not the Cotswolds and You're Not Cameron Diaz" reveals itself, readers and audiences alike will delight in what Philip Middleton Williams has pulled off. Nicely done!

Picture the characters in "Waiting For Godot" as hearing impaired. Then run with it. Philip Middleton Williams' "This Is Not the Cotswolds and You're Not Cameron Diaz" is a roaring comedy with a touch or two human empathy. Just like Mr. Beckett's play, without the long stare into the abyss. Enjoyable from beginning to end.