Recommended by Paul Smith

  • Vaulting Ambition
    19 Apr. 2021
    Just when you think you are starting with an everyday story of business folk, Charlie Stowe throws you a left hook and you are taken to a place you would never have imagined. I won't spoil the fun. Suffice to say that the writer has produced a very funny, sinister and highly entertaining piece of work. I defy anyone to see what comes around the corner. A gem!
  • Wonderful Guy
    19 Apr. 2021
    'Wonderful Guy' is a wonderful little story very much appreciated by this reader who grew up in London in the 1960s and 1970s. Alice Josephs has created a wonderfully evocative tale of a boy growing up whose constant companion over the years is the famous gorilla in London Zoo. Moving and full of warmth this is a very original and inventive piece of writing.
  • Help *Monologue*
    19 Apr. 2021
    This piece may be but a glimpse of a longer piece of work, but it succinctly deals with some of the issues of dealing with a parent with dementia. As a son whose Father succumbed to this terrible condition when he was in his late 50's I can attest to feelings of guilt at not recognising the signs of his illness and I cannot ignore the sense of relief when the his gradual decline ended when he was just 62. I felt selfish in the extreme. Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn perfectly encapsulates this terrible situation.
  • Towel's It Hangin'?
    17 Apr. 2021
    Emily McClain's monologue set on a stricken cruise ship in the early stages of COVID-19 captures the sheer frustration and boredom of the on board staff in a wonderfully humourous fashion. When a private in-joke gets found out Alex tries to explain the situation to the passenger while digging a bigger hole. This is a fun, witty and smart monologue which any actor would delight in performing.
  • THE NEW PUPPY (A Play for Videoconference)
    16 Apr. 2021
    This is an utterly delightful piece for young people. Friendship abounds as Josh's excitement is shared by his friends at the news of the imminent arrival of his new puppy. Random chats about knitting, turtles and monkeys are all part of the early hours Zoom chat between friends. Charming and warm-hearted.
  • Speed Dating
    14 Apr. 2021
    One of the great joys of NPX is finding golden nuggets hidden away. This is one such nugget. Timothy Henderson Jr. has managed to distil the life of a couple into a a few short minutes. Spare of language but not of story, it is an incredibly clever piece of work with far more depth to it than might at first appear. It's a small marvel. Highly, highly recommended.
  • An Alfred Hitchcock Christmas
    12 Apr. 2021
    It's a bit mad and it's a bit bonkers - but I loved it. Just beware the next time you go to buy your Christmas tree that there is possible danger all around. Ron Burch has created something sinister from something so harmless and has done it in a clever and very funny way. Huge fun!
  • VISITING DAD, a monologue
    12 Apr. 2021
    A moment in time - in the toughest time. Marj O'Neill-Butler distils the experiences of so many over the last year - aiming for normality and wanting to share and love - but separated by a sheet of glass. The separation leads to thoughts of an end; the end of the pandemic or the end of life. Fingers crossed this one might have a happy ending... A moment in time, and a beautifully crafted one.
  • Tucumcari Tonite!
    11 Apr. 2021
    On first reading this play I was struck by the gentle way in which the story unfolded. How, the wonderful dialogue and setting just drew you into what turns out to be unexpected and invigorating and heart-warming. Characters are drawn in full three dimensions, something which Philip Middleton Williams achieves with an ease which belies the difficulty in achieving the feat. Creative, warm and moving. A superb piece of work.
  • Short Cut in the Cemetery
    11 Apr. 2021
    It never ceases to amaze me, the skill of the writer who can pack so much into one minute. Here, we have expectation, anticipation, hilarity, shock and horror all bound together by Philip Middleton William's hallmark fluid dialogue. A breathless one minute of wit and smart writing. Fabulous.

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