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Matthew Weaver

Recommended by Matthew Weaver

  • A Kiss is Just a Kiss by Claudia Haas
    22 Feb. 2018
    “ Aw and ah and awe. After the death of her mother, Eva is ready for her life to begin, and gets the chance to maybe jump-start it with the boy she's loved from afar for so long, for the first time (???) he's ... up close. Haas does a lovely job of making us love Eva - favorite stage direction "do have a sandwich" as she pulls items out of her purse, and it pays off! - particularly as she berates Jake for taking away a "wicked" moment from her. A chance for two seasoned (perhaps unsung?) performers to shine. ”
  • Parking Lot Traffic by Michael Perlmutter
    15 Feb. 2018
    “ Perlmutter starts off strong, with an intriguing couple, as Staci wakes up boyfriend Craig and asks for ideas to develop a story about a vampire. She compulsively becomes swept up in the characters, who promptly take on lives of their own and have their own thoughts about their development. Perlmutter underlies the fun of watching the story unfold - playwrights in the audience will watch this keenly and relate - with undercurrents of Staci's mental health, making for a touching juxtaposition. Sexy and a little bit (writer) geeky in all the best ways. A fun, challenging, thought-provoking piece. ”
  • ALL BARK, NO BITE by Kara Emily Krantz
    15 Feb. 2018
    “ Krantz warmly borrows the SYLVIA concept from A.R. Gurney, embraces it wholeheartedly and more than makes it her own, as fussy pet Eugene reacts to sudden upheaval in his owner Charlotte's life: Meeting steady boyfriend Robert's dog Bella for the first time. (From the get-go, we learn there's more upheaval than even Eugene suspects.) It's obvious Krantz takes sheer joy in her story; that degree of warmth and affection for her characters is infectious. This is destined to be a crowd pleaser. And, as good as the roles for performers are, a special shout-out for showstealing Alfred, the plant. ”
  • Our Time by Ken Levine
    15 Feb. 2018
    “ Masterful. Levine instantly draws us in with full-fledged, lovable, neurotic characters who wear their hearts on their sleeves (it's like he's done this before or something) and are instantly recognizable, particularly for those of us who are fledgling writers just waiting for that one chance. Feels like a classic, and for good reason. Every line is quick, acerbic and completely heartfelt. I particularly liked Alan offering to help Sarah by sleeping with her to break her creative drought, and every bit of the preternaturally gifted Doug Manoogalarian is pure gold, among many highlights. Levine shows us how it's done. ”
  • DINO KID: A MONOLOGUE WITH T-REX, STEGOSAURUS, BRONTOSAURUS, TRICERATOPS AND A FEW OTHER DINOSAURS by Asher Wyndham
    10 Feb. 2018
    “ Wow, wow, wow. In just a few moments Wyndham nails his character exquisitely and breaks your heart completely. What audience member, what parent, would be able to sit in a moment like this and not be shaken to the core? I expect this to get a LOT of production time. Elegant in its sheer simplicity, this is a four-page ballet. The excellent title will draw audiences in, the excellent writing will have them leaving the theater thoroughly affected. Some will think: My kid has had a moment like that. Others will think: Oh, god, was my kid the bully? ”
  • MALHEUR by Rachael Carnes
    20 Jan. 2018
    “ You know all bets are off when the stage directions call for the bloody carcass of a sandhill crane. A cacophony of strangers descend upon a B&B in Oregon. Carnes does us the favor of putting a bunch of people together and lets them just bounce off of each other. Everyone has their own agenda (some of them hidden). Particularly intriguing are co-owner A'hn, trapped in the middle of nowhere; young Soren, recovering from a recent surgery, and Sarah, who has particular motives for participating in this weekend. Carnes doesn't shy from topical issues. A grand ensemble piece. ”
  • Kings of the World by Kate Danley
    9 Jan. 2018
    “ A strong, humorous, melancholy take on the world and its problems, as viewed by two regulars at the local bar. Danley does a lot, at first with very little movement, and then with a beautiful choreographical challenge. She also captures - acutely - the desire to both try something brand new and the tendency to fall back on the familiar, suggesting that this keeps us from living up to our potential. Sharp and vivid, with a timing faintly reminiscent of David Ives (a very good thing in my book), but in a style all Danley's own. Vibrant and very cool. ”
  • Vincent's Ear by Donna Hoke
    3 Jan. 2018
    “ Taut, raw. Hoke - a master at unearthing hidden depths and dimensions of her characters and interesting scenarios - here turns her gaze onto Vincent Van Gogh in his darkest moment. This is an intimate play, and just because we know what's coming - "Where is my ear?" - Hoke makes us feel like we're truly there, and seeing what actually happened. She takes a historical detail virtually the entire world knows and finds the heartache and the humanity within. ”
  • The Year and Two of Us Back Here. by Michael Kras
    15 Nov. 2017
    “ Quirky in all the best ways. We have been Rain and Isaac. Heck, we ARE Rain and Isaac. Kras uses a unique cadence in his dialogue that really sucks the audience in. The characters are breaths of fresh air, completely realistic and not voices usually seen on the stage. We see their progress over the course of a year as they slowly bond with each other - like Isaac says to Rain, "So it's not like really a thing that we have to like/ Know about each other." Kras slowly pulls back the layers to reveal hidden, wonderful depths. ”
  • 1865 by Michael Perlmutter
    15 Nov. 2017
    “ An interesting and compelling imagining of the Ford's Theatre acting troupe in the hours following Lincoln's assassination. Everyone has something to hide, everyone has their own motivations, everyone has secrets. The military won't allow them to leave. An engaging drama intermingled with actual historical fact. An intense thriller in the most unexpected of settings. ”

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