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Nick Malakhow

Recommended by Nick Malakhow

  • MORBID OBESITY SURPRISE INTERVENTION BIRTHDAY PARTY by Amy Gijsbers van Wijk
    28 May. 2023
    “ A highly theatrical exploration of bodies, body image, fatphobia, family, and more. Gijsbers van Wijk explores these topics in ways that are simultaneously both more direct/daring and gentle than I have seen before in the media. That's not to say Millie's journey is without substantial and potent conflict and hardship, but the characters are rendered with such a deft hand that I see and care for all of them, even when their needs and fears and desires conflict with one another. I sincerely hope to see this on its feet some day soon! ”
  • Love Yourself in 80 Minutes by Laura Neill
    27 May. 2023
    “ Sharp, funny, satirical takedown of self-help culture, influencers, and social media. This tightly wound and packed real-time two hander delivers lots of genuine surprises, as well, as it skewers the aforementioned things and analyzes how they intersect with both mental health/wellness and capitalism. Laura manages to do all of this while still balancing two very human characters that are easy to root for in their own individual, misguided ways. I'm eager to follow this piece's developmental trajectory and to see it on its feet someday! ”
  • yo ho. (a pirate play about anne bonny & mary read) by SMJ .
    27 May. 2023
    “ An uber-theatrical delight that is epic in scope in both form and content; that explores, explodes, and refracts history; and that resonates outside of its historical context in the way is explores gender identity, gender performance, and sexuality. It also begins hilarious and has a surprisingly and seriously touching coda of a final scene. A feast, no doubt, for actors, designers, and directors alike. ”
  • FUCK CANCER by Tanuja Devi Jagernauth
    27 May. 2023
    “ A really unique, theatrical piece that explores cancer, mental illness, healing, medicine, and more in a way I haven't seen before! It captures the overwhelming nature, uncertainty, helplessness, and other complex feelings surrounding the disease. More interestingly, it does so with a combination of funny and potent two person scenes as well as more metatheatrical and abstract sequences. The final moment was gloriously unresolved and included a brilliant extended metaphor used or hinted at throughout the piece. So wonderful to read a play on this topic that entirely eschews sentiment or expected/familiar treatment of a cancer narrative. ”
  • XOXOLOLA by Rachel Greene
    6 May. 2023
    “ This play is both heady and visceral...the best of both worlds. Such a uniquely executed, focused, and powerful exploration of so much: the commodification of women's bodies, old as time expectations about women and how those expectations manifest themselves today, the duality of sex work and the ways it both provides and can inhabit power and agency, the male fixation with the "virgin"/"whore" dichotomy, and so much more. The ending is particularly potent and poignant and the whole play provides the smartest insights into Titus Andronicus I've encountered! ”
  • Still by Lia Romeo
    4 May. 2023
    “ A rich, nuanced two-hander that explores political divisions and the tribalism that infects and impacts political discourse today! Rather than simply presenting those thorny divisions onstage, claws and fangs bared, Romeo has so wisely chosen two people desperately in need of a nuanced discussion as well as this connection with each other. Because of that, the play so elegantly navigates both the emotional and logical aspects of political discussions, philosophy, and the current socio-political climate of the US. I "root" for and understand both characters and found the ending both satisfying and a rejection of pat, easy answers. ”
  • In Every Generation by Ali Viterbi
    28 Apr. 2023
    “ A beautiful play both intimate and epic in scope. In the Levi-Katz family and the holiday of Passover, we have a core nucleus to care about and track as Viterbi explores so many aspects of Judaism, Jewish identity/diaspora and the multitudes within. Highly theatrical but accessible...I hope to see this produced far and wide! ”
  • Stockade by Andrew Rosendorf
    26 Apr. 2023
    “ Beautiful, lyrical, historical fiction that both informs on its subject and resonates emotionally today. "Stockade" clearly paints a picture of a complex moment in time by illuminating the lives of a very specific but small constellation of people. I was amazed by its expansiveness and intimacy, as well as the way Andrew plays with potent, naturalistic scenes juxtaposed with more figurative theatrical tools. I would so love to see this on its feet! ”
  • Stat Geek in Natick by Bretton Reis
    8 Apr. 2023
    “ A unique and powerful piece that has the vulnerable and confessional feel of a solo show with the theatrical benefits of additional actors to help propel the story forward and fill out the world. David's journey and the way Reis gets us into his thought processes and struggles is impressively rendered. The examination of David's love of and comfort in statistics and seeing how his disordered eating and grappling with mental health both dovetail with and work against the statistical ways his mind works is all so well done and nuanced. Thank you for writing this story! ”
  • God Will Do The Rest by Nicholas Pilapil
    29 Mar. 2023
    “ A beautiful family dramedy whose scope is as expansive as it is intimate. Pilapil explores the complexities and sacrifices and risks of emigrating from another country for a better life for you and your descendants, inherited trauma, assimilation, pride and shame, and so much more. Each character is so specifically and delicately drawn, and their wants, needs, and fears are clear and so clearly come into conflict with everyone else's in ways that are truthful and engaging to watch. Throughout, the love of this family beneath these struggles is palpable. The humor inherent in being human is poignantly executed. ”

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