Clarkston

by Samuel D. Hunter

On a journey West to rediscover himself, Jake unexpectedly meets Chris -- a kindred soul working the same night shift at a Costco in a rural American town.

As their bond deepens, so does their sense of adventure. Maybe they could finally give life new meaning by chasing something more -- like the intrepid American explorers who came before them. Together, they grapple with questions about sexuality, family, and life's dead ends.

Genres: Plays

88 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2025

Reviews

[Hanako · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think i would rate this about a 3.5 because it was entertaining and there were plenty of interesting plot twists. i do think that jake and chris were surprisingly similar characters, considering they're the main 2, which was confusing at times as a reader, but i'm sure as a viewer it would've been fine.

i think despite all of the plot twists, it doesn't feel like the play moves forward that much, and i think maybe that has less to do with the actual plot points and more to do with the lack of significant mentions of other characters or a lack of intense dynamics between characters. if jake and chris were less similar, i think it would've made more sense to only have 3 characters in the play and little mention of others.

[kat]

man I love plays

[Ellie Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was beautiful, messy, uncomfortable, humorous and gripping to read. Such a well written script! Having seen the actors, props, costumes, stage and promo trailer/photos online - it played out so vividly in my minds eye.

[Lex Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this show on the West End and gave it a 3.5-4 stars. I think its a pretty great play, made by three excellent performances and good direction.

On the page, I like it but I’m not crazy about it. There’s a very specific vibe a lot of American Off-Broadway Contemporary plays have that makes them sound a lot like this;

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNdKo9Vt2/

I actually kinda fuck with thus vibe usually but I think reading the play highlighted a few issues to me namingly the scripts tendancy to get a little self-serious in a way that I’m not sure lands. In between some great naturalistic dialogue and interesting messy characters, the script suddenly goes very lyrical and profound in a way its not quite built to sustain.

That said I think its pretty good and lends itself to some great performances. Your milage just may very depending on how American you’re willing to get with it.

I do wonder if in the age of Sterephonic, John Proctor is the Villain and Oh, Mary! (all of which are travelling from New York to London with greater fanfair) we might start to see this style of play go the way of the British Kitchen Sink drama.

[Matt Feldman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recommended by a friend after they saw a staged reading of the play. A bit too much going on for me in one play to be believable. Meaning, it doesn’t have to always pour when it rains. Raising the stakes through an oddly stacked amount of unfortunate obstacles and circumstances is a cop out. Family tension, medical conditions, drug usage, queer identity, and future aspiration challenges all in one play with only 3 onstage characters feels like the Costco of drama. Why just take 1 when you can have 8?!

2.5 stars

[Anne L · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75/5.00

Very biased by seeing it live back in October but this is such a solid one-act play. Reflective and gut-wrenching in equal measure, and I teared up reading the lines that also got to me in the theatre. It's a hard ask to convey themes of mortality and existentialism in such a short amount of time, but Hunter does it so beautifully.

Loved seeing this live, love it just as much as a standalone text. I'd love to see it become massive one day.

[Ilyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this play. I have a few moments that don’t ring true. Chris’ reaction to Jake’s terminal illness seems callous. Trisha needs a little more backstory. But in general I liked it. (Read to mentor Joe)

[sophie ⚢⋆☽˚⋆₊✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

reading plays again!
a truly heartbreaking read, wow ❤️‍🩹

[Bessy · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful script!!!

[bookswithjm · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is one of the best play texts i’ve ever encountered. it’s so rich and has so much juice for actors to work with. every character is broken yet lovable, and nothing is out of place. i absolutely adore this show

[Marc Oropeza · Rating 5 out of 5]

you have this idea in your head of the person you could be - but then it turns out you’re just the same asshole you’ve always been.