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Ricardo Soltero-Brown

Recommended by Ricardo Soltero-Brown

  • Talking Points by Steven Hayet
    1 Feb. 2018
    “ This dazzling charmer by Steven Hayet brings to mind the short comedies of Anton Chekhov, some of my favorite writings. Mike's formality is both too much for his own good and it's absolutely what's most endearing about him; perhaps that's why it reminds me of Chekhov: it is and it isn't his fault. The whole thing is a lesson in humor. The ultimate moment of clarity, the revealing explanation, the bit about the five-year plans had me laughing so hard that I lost my place. ”
  • THE LAST DATE by Emma Goldman-Sherman
    1 Feb. 2018
    “ Disturbing, tragic, scary, the whole night works as a cautionary tale on how easily, how commonly this behavior occurs. ”
  • Dreaming by Diana Burbano
    31 Jan. 2018
    “ Burbano has a play here rooted in the identity crisis so many in Latin@ culture have, and it gets even more complicated, becomes nerve-wrackingly delicate when Arinda's views and pre-PC way of speaking conflict with her daughter Julia's sensitive state and circumstance. This is a fine glimpse of two Latinas considering where it is they actually are in this country, as well as what they are, and what this country deems them to be. ”
  • Delivery by Jelisa Jay Robinson
    30 Jan. 2018
    “ There is an amazing, incredible honesty and remarkably genuine quality to the voices of these characters, even (or, rather, especially) in their most heightened moments. Robinson has a remarkable ear for the spirit of speech. Her time as a teacher has made her a clear and vital conduit for the hearts and minds of our hurting youth. There is much to be said about the strength of these students, they're the best, they are survivors manifesting a salvation through art...but I was also struck by Tolivar, her patience and perception, her noticing the necessity of beauty in dark times. ”
  • Mother's Milk by Nelson Diaz-Marcano
    29 Jan. 2018
    “ Diaz-Marcano continues his investigation of the displaced, the exiled, the lost, the transient, and more forced to consider the possibility and ramifications of living in the United States; here, in his ten-minute period play 'Mother's Milk', with an effective metaphor for "manna from heaven," he extends himself to a young married couple of South Africans expecting a child. The choice they face is a timeless, surprising hard mix of past, present, and future, of politics, privacy, and family. It's like a beautiful, disorienting mix of Athol Fugard and Tony Kushner, replete with Diaz-Marcano's always dreamy, always divine style of dialogue. ”
  • Confidence Boost by Matthew Weaver
    29 Jan. 2018
    “ This quick primer to the works of Matthew Weaver highlights what's best about him: dazzling female roles, emotionally vulnerable but daring male characters, heart, humor, an astounding ability to wrap everything up in ways charming, heartening, and inspiring, and the clever gift of always having everything right there in the title. The more I read, the more I realize how caring Weaver really is, as a human and a dramatist. It's remarkable, and exceptionally important, learning and knowing how much we might actually need Weaver and his works right now, his confidence boosts. ”
  • THE PERFECT WIFE by Rachael Carnes
    28 Jan. 2018
    “ As an eons-overdue crackdown on sexually-predatory behavior wrangles our society and consciousness, playwright Carnes hones on a component too tricky for other writers: the completion of love-scorned man into monster. It is one the most accomplished plays I've ever come across. This cautionary tale for self-righteous arrogance, damning document on ownership, and heaven's conviction of the utterly bullshit excuses of bullish men is a mix of Jean Genet and Paula Vogel, with dialogue far funnier than either could provide. Carnes' clear love and interest with history breathes life into bizarre, minuscule details throughout one of this satirist's finest chef-dœuvres. ”
  • Onion Ode by Matthew Weaver
    28 Jan. 2018
    “ Without a doubt one of Weaver's funniest plays! I had to stop reading at some point on every page because of my busting out laughing! What a pure, joyful piece this is right here - and yet Weaver inserts moments of wry, sly humor that may indicate just how intelligent the child of this one-character play might actually be, and just when you think you've got it, this student makes you wonder just how witting or unwitting the whole of this presentation actually is. Bravo! Bravo! This will absolutely prove to be a standout performance at any short play festival! ”
  • Routine by Caitlin Turnage
    27 Jan. 2018
    “ The first line of this play sets up the tone and themes that playwright Turnage investigates in this raw, insightful one-act about marriage in stasis. Four characters reckon with the meaning and significance of their past as applied to the present, creating exchanges that hang desperately on the nuances of every word and thought they share, or don't. The drama that unfolds over the cooking of spaghetti is one of the most tense, engaging, bizarre, astonishingly wounded battles I've read in a long time. The fourth wall-breaking monologues transcend into time-shattering soliloquies. This's a fantastic, challenging, scab ripping for actors. ”
  • ILL COMES FORTH by Rachael Carnes
    27 Jan. 2018
    “ Golly, what a terrifying, irreverent, hysterical piece! If only Robin Williams were still around. Carnes transmogrifies a personality both Shakespearean and appallingly modern into something astonishingly current, topical and timeless. Perfect for any stage, but will also well serve those particularly interested in an evening of political sketches to be held at any sized venue. ”

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