Charlie Moose Makes His Move

Turner has a knack for writing engaging dialogue but she seems to have painted herself into a corner with the utter distastefulness of these characters. Even in the darkest of dark comedies, there has to be some glimmer of light. The cast is totally committed to playing these characters full out under Sam Wilkes's unflinching direction.

Incredible. I was blown away. The script is brilliant. The acting is amazing. It was hilarious and heartbreaking. The writing is impressively smart and funny, by far the best I have seen this year. I felt for these people, even when they were being awful to each other. A great sense of empathy balances the unhinged humor. If you have any sort of brain or feelings, if you are human, you cannot go wrong with this show.

This is a great play. The writing, the acting and direction are some of the best I have seen in Los Angeles. I didn't know anything about it walking in, and I'm so glad I took a chance. The story and characters are unique and the dialogue sparks. Highly recommend.

Hilarious, heart-breaking and profound. This play shocked me in all the best possible ways. It was very funny, raunchy and ruthless - yet ultimately, it was a brilliant examination of the lies we tell ourselves and others. This is a great play and an awesome production.

I'm blown away by how great this was. Only 5 actors and a dynamite script is all you need! The actress playing the mom reminded me SO much of Laura Dern in Enlightened. Fantastic.

This play is so funny! Freddy Harris, who plays Charlie Moose, is hilarious. Offbeat and wacky if you like Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia or Peep Show you will love this play. Jessica Jill Turner is a genius!

Wow. I wasn't prepared for the huge leaps of imagination that happen in virtually every scene of this wildly funny play.  Jessica Jill Turner's story and characters are unlike any I've seen, pitched at a perfect blend of humor and heart.  Not only is the language fascinating, but its story is creative and unpredictable. This play goes nowhere near where you think it will, pivoting from hysterical comedy to profound sorrow almost effortlessly.

The show moves from an immobile, obese novelist to an alien ice skater, from a sociopathic parent (with a unique relationship to filing cabinets) to a boy who likes to poke and a stripper who can't strip, and yet none of this ever feels forced or devolves into kitsch.  Instead of chaos, the writer, director and company inform everything with care and poignancy.

It's about memory and imagination, and how they can give us hope – but also let us down – during our times of loneliness and pain. That's what makes this much more than just a funny play (which it definitely is). But once Charlie Moose makes his move, I was left wondering if I should have been laughing so much.

One of the most challenging, hysterical, original plays I can remember from a playwright with a fearless imagination.

Saw the preview of this show last Friday and loved it. The writing is exceptional. This show goes from joke/punchline hilarious to sadly poetic and deeply personal, while still remaining universal in its exploration of themes of loneliness and the extremes we, as humans, go to avoid it. It's funny. And strange. And relatable. I somehow saw some of myself in each of the characters despite the fact that they were all larger than life. The creativity and imaginative life of this show reminded me that you can take HUGE risks in theme and language without sacrificing honesty or heart. Sometimes, when I see projects that have heightened language or themes (simulated on-stage oral sex, sadism, masochism, characters admitting their darkest fears and/or desires), the extreme nature of the themes overrides the integrity of the characters or plot. In this case, the writer, director, and performers somehow balance it all so you never feel like anything or anyone is being exploited. It's all, somehow, justified, entertaining, and heartfelt throughout. You can tell the writer and the actors love and accept these people (characters) in spite of their flaws. Overall, this is a play about fantasy, imagination, rejection, pain, loneliness, hope, and the secret desire we all have to be considered brilliant by others. It's bravely written, directed, and performed-and not brave in that “Um…I don't know what to say after a play, so I'm gonna go with ‘brave,'” but brave in the actual definition of the word-fearlessly holding up a mirror to themes deep within our human nature, often hiding in our subconscious, and letting us know that we aren't alone in the struggle. Because this was a preview, there are some technical kinks to work out. Often, when there was music or sound, the actors had to shout over the sound, and the audience was still left missing half of a hilarious monologue about an uncoordinated stripper and part of a kid's oral report. It also felt a bit rushed. The language is elaborate at times, and sometimes I felt like the pace had me missing some information. MY OVERALL IMPRESSION Love, love, love. Go, go, go.