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Nick Malakhow

Recommended by Nick Malakhow

  • Mother Road by Octavio Solis
    26 Feb. 2021
    “ A gorgeous piece that feels both huge and small at the same time. The themes, the theatricality of the chorus and their lyrical verse, the theatrical conceit of the road trip, and the malleability of time and space are epic in scope. That said, this piece never loses sight of the real and complex humans at the center of it. Solis has created such exquisite characters and reveals their strengths and flaws with beautiful storytelling. Many of the haunting stage images were still vividly in my mind after I read the script. I'd love to see it onstage! ”
  • Poor Queenie by Eliana Theologides Rodriguez
    24 Feb. 2021
    “ Beautiful piece! This intimate, contemporary familial tragedy feels both exquisitely natural and ever so slightly heightened in its theatricality. The huge themes--loneliness, identity formation, family relationships--are tackled with precision and with regard for the messiness of human relationships in an almost parable-like way. The mix of longer scenes and shorter moments and the unique introduction of a sort of "audience proxy" character in Livi appropriately shakes up the troubling equilibrium that Queenie and Amber have. This play manages to be bold and subtle all at once--I'd love to see it onstage! ”
  • OURS by Alexis Roblan
    23 Feb. 2021
    “ A unique theatrical event that utilizes inventive casting to explore how one's identity evolves over time and the ways that one grapples with trauma. I loved how this was both a super compelling story in and of itself if you take it as a harrowing account of sci-fi truth and also as an extended metaphor for post traumatic stress and how one's relationships are impacted by such traumas. The messy Q&A and sudden ending to the piece both evoke naturalism and serve as an appropriate representation of the unresolved nature of the wounds on display. ”
  • Red Running Into Water by Blossom Johnson
    22 Feb. 2021
    “ Exquisitely written piece that explores the multi-pronged nature of inherited and intergenerational trauma in Indigenous communities. I was taken with the way it acknowledged the trauma that Nana and Zana's abusers themselves faced, opening up a complex exploration of insidious cycles of assault and their multitudinous roots. The mix of lyrical and everyday language, song, vividly realized landscapes, and glorious stage images combined to create an incredible aesthetic whole. The melancholy combination of hope and sadness in the last quarter or so of the play was so real in its "untidiness"--something we're trained to want to resolve. ”
  • Atlas, the Lonely Gibbon by Deborah Yarchun
    21 Feb. 2021
    “ A beautiful, funny, incisive, unsettling, and, above all, human exploration of the ways technology has impacted our ability to connect with one another--for the better and the worse! The sci-fi world feels effortlessly woven without a hint of capital E "Exposition," and both the technological and emotional realities of this future are well rendered. The examination of Irene and David's marriage, the heart of the play, is sad and sharp and funny all at once. It neither condemns nor excuses either of them. The titular primate, Atlas, is a subtle perfect metaphor/counterpoint for the human relationships on display. ”
  • when we breathe by Jaisey Bates
    21 Feb. 2021
    “ I was blown away by the acrobatic lyricism of the text! Much like in the wonderful "the day we were born," Jaisey threads together poetry, everyday human speech, direct address, impressionistic choral language, and much more into a cohesive aesthetic whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts. I enjoyed reading this on the page, but if you have the chance to listen to/see it, take it! Its rhythms and depths are unlocked in that fashion. Potent and wrenching exploration of huge injustices that reveals/pinpoints/respects its characters' traumas rather than exploiting them. Gorgeous! ”
  • Angler Light by Steven San Luis
    19 Feb. 2021
    “ I adored this play and the way it used its fantastical world to explore huge themes like suicide, grief, identity, and connection. Its brisk pace, owing a lot of the pushy and hilarious Prince Two-Gill, is punctuated well with poignant, softer moments. Steven San Luis' use of a host of intriguing visual metaphors and theatrical devices (the cinder block, personified fish, clever triple casting) is crystal clear yet nuanced. The ending manages to be satisfying, true to the characters, and touching. I'd love to see a production company realize this modern fable onstage. ”
  • Waterloo!!!!! by Kev Berry
    17 Feb. 2021
    “ I couldn't put this expansive, theatrical, genre-bending piece down once I started reading it! It's so hilarious on the page--the eclectic characters are all very interesting, the overall "aesthetic of the humor" is so clear, and even the way the comedic timing would work in performance feels so carefully constructed--I can only imagine what a treat it would be to see fully realized. At the same time that this play is a purely entertaining piece of hilarity, it also explores in unique ways marriage and relationships, art/adaptation, and rhetoric. Here's hoping I get to see this sometime soon! ”
  • small town icons by SMJ .
    16 Feb. 2021
    “ I was not expecting this play to go where it went, and I was absolutely delighted to be along for the ride. S MJ explores small-town life and the social expectations and limitations that come with it with a depth, darkness, and humor that constantly engages. These four young folks are all suffering for various reasons in the muck and mire that is their town, and the way they come together, hurt one another, and orbit around each other is intensely interesting. The slightly heightened world and use of "Our Town"--subverting its nostalgia--is theatrical and compelling. ”
  • Firewater by Samantha Marchant
    15 Feb. 2021
    “ I so love the way this play is both expansive/mythic and incredibly human and tightly focused. Marchant weaves in world building details that flesh out this compelling theatrical universe with subtlety and a light hand that never feels expository. Cally and Juniper's relationship, in particular, was a strong central focus, and the exquisite stage images and atmospheric details were easy to imagine in my head. I'd love to see an adventurous production team take on the design, direction, and performance of this play! ”

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