←

Ricardo Soltero-Brown

Recommended by Ricardo Soltero-Brown

  • The Twisted House by Ross Tedford Kendall
    24 Jul. 2023
    “ Positively solid Horror. With refreshingly natural characters and dialogue. Technically it is more than possible to achieve the impossible in this script. With traces of such classics as The Haunting, Rebecca, The Innocents, The Weir and other haunted house tales, what Ross Tedford Kendall brings to the play is a necessary looming and building sense of dread, as well as a successful dynamic between all the characters, comic situations, wit, and the sense of a genre in safe hands. Other highlights include a strong, intelligent, insightful protagonist, a mysterious renter, a Roomba, theatrical marvels, wonderful ghostly monologues, and rising bodycount(?). ”
  • OUR FAKE HISTORY by Nora Louise Syran
    24 Jul. 2023
    “ Fantastic play for young audiences that will inspire the desire to learn. To question! To double-check! To be objective! The rhythm of the play will certainly draw students in and the language will also entertain the parents. And plot twists engage everyone. There are characters for everyone to identify with and recognize. The jokes are always appropriate and you can already hear the guffaws. The impact of the play regarding politricks, gossip, socialization, and responsibility could certainly be long-lasting as students may remember it while growing up and furthering their education. Which is the best outcome the play could have. ”
  • The Op by Christopher Soucy
    24 Jul. 2023
    “ The theme of killing gets off from the get-go. The history of it, the utility of it, the cost of it. Christopher Soucy investigates violence as modus operandi in a handful of individuals. However, there is that pesky sucker called authority: who lives, who dies, who decides. It's about Death as Lust, God as Man, it's about torture and prisoners' rights. Strangely enough, it has an Abel Ferrara-meets-Artaud-meets-Arthur Miller family drama thing. It's about revenge on fate. It's about the lasting influence and trauma that blood can have. Powerhouse of a play that starts at 10 and ends at 15. ”
  • everyone in new york is beautiful by Christian Flynn
    22 Jul. 2023
    “ I started laughing by the character descriptions. I know these people! There eventually comes a level of absurdity the further down you try to navigate the rabbit hole of Free Love; all the labels that distinguish sexuality. Monogamy has been around for at least 3000 years, so, whatever; but so has polyamory, so, what's the revolution exactly? Pandora DID open the box. But not all people are a problem, they're just different in their own beautiful, complex, curious, and problematic ways. Clever parallels are made between the sexual and political spectrums. The dialogue is deliciously raw and authentic. Highly recommend. ”
  • Seeking Nietzsche (Full-length play) by Marcia Eppich-Harris
    22 Jul. 2023
    “ The first thing to make an impression is Eppich-Harris' poetic language, which serves as a beautiful ushering in to a journey about legacy. We feel in safe hands due to a resplendent atmosphere of skillfully chosen historical settings for struggles in love, debate, and power; each scene setting up a specific question regarding Nietzsche's work and its socio-political placement, his wellness, and Elisabeth's will to impose interpretation. Indeed there are generous insights into Nietzsche's work in philosophy and literature, but a remarkable achievement here is Eppich-Harris' rendering of a human drama. The play is structured to flow, engage, and inspire. ”
  • Hellbent in a Northwoods Cabin by Kim E. Ruyle
    22 Jul. 2023
    “ Ruyle makes a melting pot out of a cabin then turns it into a pot-boiler. The ingredients are the four characters, a weekend getaway, a potential hookup, a good-samaritan gesture, and a lost-and-wounded authority. It's a hodgepodge but it works like a magic trick, because everyone gets suspicious of everyone else just by their being themselves. Opposites attract, flip sides align. It's remarkable thematic work for looking at our country today and considering the values we hold in order to coexist. The dialogue never lets up, the character work follows through, and the lost-in-translation provides laughs. Wonderful contemporary piece. ”
  • Let's Hope You Feel Better by Samantha Oty
    21 Jul. 2023
    “ Therese should be perfect, but the first hint that something is off comes in her reaction to an oversized ring. Then there's the photographer, the wedding planner, the budget, the maid-of-honor, the mother, the dress; remarkably, as these scenes play out, the play itself is not about any of it. There is an undercurrent of darkness and tension we know has to come out eventually, especially because there's a plan for it to in the works. The brightness of the characters juxtaposed with the actual subject matter - and wildly vulnerable "affair" - may cause whiplash and exhilaration. Fantastic piece! ”
  • The Moral Waiver by Douglas Gearhart
    20 Jul. 2023
    “ Everyone wants a piece of Laine, so much so that she's currently living in a world of active trauma, whether she's initially aware of it or not. It's a toxic environment. Gearhart doesn't make it easy for Laine, with a boyfriend oozing insecurities at her departure, a mother and brother who seem to use her simultaneously for a backbone and punching bag, and a diner patron who finds in her inspiration. The dialogue is acerbic and menacing, but Laine remains hopeful in spite of it all, though not before having to learn the best way to stand up for herself. ”
  • the trail to dry creek by Tess Berger
    20 Jul. 2023
    “ From the first lines Tess Berger is interested in setting a certain atmosphere, but the undercurrent encompasses a whole spectrum of moods with what it leaves up for observation. Berger wants us to spend time with the characters and it's a good thing, too, because these characters shouldn't be rushed, seeing as they barely have a hold on where they are - existentially. Each scene has a clever set-up to let Berger paint some human comedy out of what could easily have been human tragedy. The craftsmanship and poetry of the overall piece is a gorgeous and most remarkable achievement. ”
  • It's My Brooklyn Too by John N. Frank
    20 Jul. 2023
    “ What does an immigrant leave behind? In what ways does an immigrant assimilate? This balancing act is at the heart of John N. Frank's family drama. The matriarch embarrasses her children with her old-country religion and superstitions, while some try to make dues in the American workforce, while others try to incorporate their customs. Frank steeps the play in the pop culture, current events, family dynamics, socio-economic life, prejudices, sexual mores, and oral traditions/story-telling of the time. And they are all so very familiar to us today. Momma in particular executes representing the psycho-political ramifications of the melting pot. ”

Pages