←Recommendations of Wheel of Fortune Reversed

Dammit, I am crying! I love how this play starts, with Michael ready for Death, but still not quite ready. Michael is smart and understands what has to happen, but still hopes for a sneak preview as to what is to come. Death is an accommodating guide. This whole short play is so full of peace, but deep inside there is still a primal scream for more. More answers, more time, more life. And this is something we all can relate.

Death- as in the Grim Reaper- is typically a horror story entity, but here Death is something more. Less frightening, more gentle and giving. An excellent play produced with terrific sound design, over there on the GATHER BY THE GHOST LIGHT podcast!

Michael plays a series of games with Death, not in the hopes of cheating her, but to linger just a little longer in the liminal space between one state of being and another and another and to plumb just a few more mysteries.

Death, with some amusement and compassion for this mortal indulges him for just a few more minutes in a sly tale of love and acceptance. Sickles' playful writing is clever like Michael and compassionate like Death.

Gives you a lot to think about. This play expresses a lot of our hopes and dreams when it comes to the afterlife. Fascinating concepts, highly philosophical. Completely engaging. Highly recommend.

I heard this play performed beautifully on the Gather by the Ghost Light podcast. Michael is going gently into that dark night with only a few questions for Death as they approach their inevitable union. The tremendous gift the play gives us is the hope that a loving touch may be the last thing we feel as the darkness descends. Scott Sickles is a treasure.

We are invited here to laugh at Death. At first. Then Death is revealed to hold its inevitable sway in a way that is heartening and meaningful as Michael comes to literally embrace Death. This is a witty, engaging and ultimately moving look at one man's demise.

A wonderful little "slice of death," as it were. Who knew what started with a sly Bergman homage could end up being a moving and touching reflection on life and what may come after it. As I read through the play, I was drawn in by the conversation between the two characters to the point where all thoughts of a "gimmick" had ceased, and I waited breathlessly for what would have usually been a foregone resolution. An excellent ten minute play!

There is such a care in writing here that is present in every Sickles piece I read. This is an author who truly cares about their characters. Sickles is kind, thoughtful, and always, always, a talented writer.

There's nothing scarier than the unknown. In this heartwarming, surprisingly funny short, Scott Sickles helps us experience it for ourselves. Its universality makes it the perfect, highly theatrical fodder for a medium that is all about communion.

While the piece doesn't definitively answer any lurking universal questions, it provides enough possibilities to take a lot of the fear out of one of life's biggest transitions. I'm a huge fan of the many laugh lines throughout the piece, which always seem to hit at just the right moment. Most important of all, this play is kind—a challenging topic handled beautifully!

Among the many things I love about Scott Sickles' plays are their humor and theatricality and the way they always lead us to surprising and profound places. What a beautiful ending. This would make a fantastic addition to any short-play festival.