Recommended by Adam Bertocci

  • Adam Bertocci: Angels and Ministers of Grace by Elaine Smith
    “

    This strong piece ably balances recognizable rural characters with a touch of the mystic. You immediately relate to the arguments and incidents that begin the piece, whether your world is like theirs or not, and as for the end, well, it's one of the finest final minutes I can recall reading.

    This strong piece ably balances recognizable rural characters with a touch of the mystic. You immediately relate to the arguments and incidents that begin the piece, whether your world is like theirs or not, and as for the end, well, it's one of the finest final minutes I can recall reading.

    ”
  • Adam Bertocci: The Underpants Godot by Duncan Pflaster
    “

    A delight for anyone who’s seen a million Shakespeares and is perpetually chasing that sweet spot between honoring the classic expectations and delving into new revelations… or, failing that, anyone who derives intense joy from an argument, whether one’s invoking the biggest, weightiest themes or the smallest technicalities. I admit that the title and the (seeming) gimmick is what got me to look into this piece, but it’s the ideas that kept me reading.

    A delight for anyone who’s seen a million Shakespeares and is perpetually chasing that sweet spot between honoring the classic expectations and delving into new revelations… or, failing that, anyone who derives intense joy from an argument, whether one’s invoking the biggest, weightiest themes or the smallest technicalities. I admit that the title and the (seeming) gimmick is what got me to look into this piece, but it’s the ideas that kept me reading.

    ”
  • Adam Bertocci: Double Heart (The Courtship of Beatrice and Benedick) by David Hansen
    “

    I saw this at the Fringe, gladly offered my endorsement at the time and still remember it fondly. A totally worthy what-if to serve as a companion to a timeless romantic comedy. The style is convincing and the proposed answer to the "double heart" mystery that Shakespeare alludes to, in a word, works. I began intrigued that anyone would have the nerve to write these characters and finished both pleased with and impressed by the result.

    I saw this at the Fringe, gladly offered my endorsement at the time and still remember it fondly. A totally worthy what-if to serve as a companion to a timeless romantic comedy. The style is convincing and the proposed answer to the "double heart" mystery that Shakespeare alludes to, in a word, works. I began intrigued that anyone would have the nerve to write these characters and finished both pleased with and impressed by the result.

    ”