←Recommendations of The Great Fish & Jonah

My playwriting students adored The Great Fish & Jonah. My student who read the part of the whale that swallows the prophet kept the class in hysterics as he read the hilarious lines. This play would work well for high school or university classes - young or mature audiences. It really captures the spirit of the Biblical story well while giving it a contemporary polish. Highly recommended.

A completely delightful biblical tale of Jonah and Herman the fish. Clever, engaging and very well done!

I recently had the pleasure of performing in this gem of a piece. A touching, hilarious, delightful biblical adaptation with a heaping spoonful of social commentary added in for good measure, the play was well received for its clever insight and gentle wisdom. The script also won the festival's Adjudicators' Choice award, on its own merit without help from the performance, by a panel of judges who read and compared each script in the show. I highly recommend this play.

Totally delightful with a side helping of thoughtful examination of friendship, fate, and calling. A fantastic opportunity for an actress to own the stage. I saw this at the Spokane Civic Theatre Playwrights Forum Festival and thoroughly enjoyed it!

I love a good bible adaptation, and Weaver is such a from-the-heart kind of writer with every nuance and moment fleshed out into feeling states, he allows us all to experience the magic of this incredible story. Jonah in avoidance at the top has to come to terms with his mission. A very human story, and Weaver takes us on a Whale (great fish) of a ride!

A heartwarming play about facing one’s fears, THE GREAT FISH & JONAH is a delightful piece of theatre bursting with creative challenges. Matthew Weaver immediately delights by placing this story in the Whale- I mean, Great Fish’s belly and keeps things exciting through dialogue and a thrilling battle with a giant squid. #PlaywrightPlug

This may be my favorite Weaver play of all time (I keep saying that, and I keep meaning it!) It's so pure and sincere and whimsical, but there is so much at the heart of it. It's great for young audiences, but adults would love it too. Weaver has some of the funniest one-liners I've ever seen in a script--for example, "My food just disagreed with me" had me actually laughing out loud. Weaver is clever, but he is so heartfelt and genuine--and that's what makes his plays so wonderful. Produce him. The world needs more of him.

A heartwarming play bursting with theatricality. Weaver has tapped into what makes theatre creative and imaginative from setting the play in the belly of whale to a giant squid fight on stage. These are the kind of creative challenges any director would want to tackle.

A delightfully refreshing take on the classic Biblical story. Love it!