Recommended by Brent Alles

An effective little piece born out of a surprising situation. It allows us to explore a lot of depth in these characters in a brief time, however. As usual, Vogel has several amusing lines, and also not unexpected, you're able to get a great, unusual "slice of life" from the scenario she explores. I love the ending; this is a very effective piece.

A very interesting and moving reflection on the end of it all... except when it's not, and you come back. What happens then? How do we cope, if at all? Byham does an excellent job exploring that in multiple viewpoints that provide nuance to the overall topic. The ending is a satisfying conclusion on the musings about our purpose in life and what might wait for us on the other side.

First of all, I have to warn you to ignore the recommendation of that other Brent Alles on John's piece "Steve of Absence." That was obviously an imposter. As the real Brent Alles, I would just like to say that this piece is a very interesting exploration of reality, virtual or not. The tension and frustration grows throughout the piece and we're left with an unsettling ending. An enjoyable read!
(Having some fun, of course, playing with Busser's concept, but both plays were a good read... an interesting experiment to be sure!)

A very groovy, very funny "Twilight Zone"-ish situation in this one act. I'm always up for a good explanation of how reality is a very thin line indeed sometimes, and Busser does that nicely with the concept here. Good back and forth between the characters and a satisfying ending (or maybe not, you be the judge). Enjoyable! Looking forward to reading the "darker side" to see the different spin on this.

Got a chance to view a production of the play this evening. An incredibly well written and thought provoking piece of work. Malakhow provides great parts for the actors to sink their teeth into. The nuance of this play is superb. After finishing the viewing, it took a while for much to sink in, but the discussion I was able to have with those who viewed it with me was almost as valuable as the viewing. It's that type of work, and this play is a powerful statement by Malakhow on sadly still relevant issues in our society. A triumph.

This is a great play! The characters are well drawn, the dialogue is sharp and effective, and the plot is engaging. The motivations make sense and often times have you rooting for certain characters and gnashing your teeth at the actions of others. There's an impactful ending of Act I and then the overall ending may make you gasp but ultimately makes sense as well. There are funny, moving, touching, sobering, and saddening scenes throughout. Everything is very well balanced. This is an excellent examination of grief, family, and life itself. This play indeed hits a home run.

The assignment for "28/29 Plays Later" was definitely met here, but it was also a pleasant surprise to see in the working of the play how deeper meaning can be found in songs we've listened to many times. But isn't that the point with art? I think so, and Cole definitely captures that here. An enjoyable read!

A darkly funny mashing and pureeing of the Marvel Mythos into something that has a lot to say about our society today. There are plenty of jokes here for the comic nerds (I am one, so I can use that term, thank you very much), but there's also biting commentary on many, many things as we get past the silliness of those who dress up in spandex. Fruchtman uses that inherent silliness as a good base to say what they have to say, and it makes for an engrossing read and, one would think, an engrossing performance.

There are a lot of nice moments packed in this short piece. First, it's relatable to me in terms of being a clutter person and the horror that would commence if my spouse decided to organize all my stuff. (Believe me, she's tried in the past.) That being said, there's some nice back and forth between these two characters that reveals much about them in the brief time we're with them. A very pleasant, sometimes humorous, sometimes touching slice of life play.

Love the concept and the world established. Characters are fun and progress of the plot is exciting. Who knew a writing competition could be such high drama? The transference of the ideas in this work to other areas is very evident, and I found myself nodding throughout the reading of it. And then... "Collecting Rejections." Suddenly, I got that pang of realization that I don't always get with a musical, but I definitely got it here. Nostalgic yet futuristic, satirical yet awfully earnest; this is one heck of a musical concept and I can't wait to see how it develops!