Friends Like These

Friends Like These was absolutely riveting and thought provoking. A wonderful insight to a very relevant and difficult topic, told from a balanced perspective with a true heart and passion for making these stories heard. The young cast handled the heavy nature of the show with poise. Completely worth seeing and infinitely haunting and memorable.... full review

Having worked in theater for a few years, it's really difficult for me to get into a show fully. I'm always thinking about acting choices or the lighting plot or whether or not I think a light or sound cue went off at the right time. But "Friends Like These" was the first show in years that I was completely absorbed in. And for that alone, the show was wonderful. But the show was wonderful because the show is wonderful. Greg Crafts has written a thing of beauty, a show that is simultaneously tragic and hilarious, down-to-earth and earth-shatteringly powerful. The five cast members were brilliant in becoming their characters, and because of the combination of the writing, acting, and great directing, I suddenly found myself so insanely att... full review

The play captures the voice of high school perfectly, the characters are likable, and you really feel for them as they struggle through the hell hole we know as high school. I appreciated the humor that pops up throughout the piece, I can in knowing the subject matter was a school shooting, but even in life's darkest moments, the play shows that there is light. The cast is magnificent, it was a 90 minute nonstop roller coaster that I never wanted to get off. I'd highly recommend this play to anyone, especially since it's topic is remains current. Wonderful show! A must see.... full review

Encapsulated Review (full review at Bitter Lemons): Making an encore appearance at the 2014 Hollywood Fringe Festival, Theatre Unleashed’s FRIENDS LIKE THESE attempts to provide an answer to the question "How do high school shootings happen?" With the play's ending revealed at the start, writer Gregory Crafts can focus us, instead, on the events that lead to the final tragedy. The strength of FRIENDS LIKE THESE is Crafts’ ability to capture both the pace and awkwardness of high school. Nevertheless, while the central issues addressed by FRIENDS LIKE THESE remain disturbingly current, the play itself is beginning to show its age. Given present trends, it is an unsettling thought that Crafts will likely need to revise and update his play for ... full review

Dug it. Really great to see theatre that appeals to the you gins and has a powerful and timely message for them. It was written in a way that speaks to their souls and directed in a way to keep things moving swiftly. This is also a great experience for the non-teen crowd as it gives an honest glimpse into their struggles, joys, desires and what can happen when hope is deferred too long.... full review

"Friends like These" remains disturbingly relevant. Fringe is a wonderful platform but I'd love to see a full production of the show. The challenge of balancing tragedy and the heightened drama of the world of hormonal teenagers is just that, challenging, and I think this script does that very well. I saw opening night and would love to see how it grows after the actors have had a little time to settle into it. On the whole however, I think the production succeeds in dealing with an incredibly difficult subject through a lens that we all recognize and remember.... full review

This play is well written,acted and directed. I enjoyed every moment. Go! ... full review

“Friends Like These” is an amazing play. Five high school kids are torn between social conformity and the impulses of the heart. But here, as in life, young love is tragic love, new and strange and deeply felt, with competing peer groups, shifting alliances, tested loyalties, and secret passions. Writer Gregory Crafts puts his five characters through the emotional and psychological wringer that is high school. He builds tension throughout his tightly-paced plot, and caps it with a satisfying end that nails his theme to the floorboards. His characters are finely drawn, his dialog sharp. The use of live-action role-playing (LARPing) is great theatrical fun. The acting is strong and the direction brisk. Both relevant and entertaining, this unfl... full review

Everything good they say is true. Just go see it, already. ... full review

It’s difficult to write a review about such a well-written show and not just spoil the heck out of the plot for those of you who haven’t had a chance to see it yet! For me, there was no plot twist. It sounds twisted, but I knew who I wanted the antagonist to be and it was compelling to watch that all unfold. For others it came as an unsettling surprise, which was indicated by the audible raw emotions coming from the packed house. I think the characters are really well-defined, each with a language of their own. I knew all these people in HS. I especially liked watching the growth of each of these characters, extending beyond their stereotypes, keeping them real and human and multifaceted. Well, everyone except for the antagonist, who ... full review