Peerless

by Jiehae Park

Asian-American twins M and L have given up everything to get into The College. So when D, a one-sixteenth Native American classmate, gets "their" spot instead, they figure they've got only one option: kill him. A darkly comedic take on Shakespeare's Macbeth about the very ambitious and the cut-throat world of high school during college admissions.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Read For School, Theatre, Fiction, Retellings

132 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Aloke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update! Got to see this staged at 59e59 and it was, as expected, lots of dark fun (darker than I remembered and funnier). Great performance by Sasha Diamond as M.

Tightly plotted, dark fun about elite college admissions! I’d love to see this performed. Recommended to me by my daughter who got to read it in her HS Asian-American lit class. Let’s hope they all learned the right lessons from it. I think I’ve got to reread Macbeth now.

[ML Character · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, for the first, like, 50 pages I found this really painful, but then [MINOR, NOT REALLY, BUT SORT OF, SPOILER.........................................] once I realized this is actually Macbeth for college admissions, it became a real joy. I don't know that it truly addresses what I actually DO feel is a contemporary moral crisis of middle-class elite college entitlement, but it devolved into a black comedy romp so I could (after the first bit, where I sort of took the paranoia around "diversity" and selective admissions seriously) enjoy the horror.

[Jiahe Wang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally not giving this play 4 stars based on the sole fact that the author’s name is just one letter away from mine.

[Luke Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing and frenetic, Peerless takes a look at the psyche of two twins desperate for each others' success as they plot to kill one of their classmates in a retelling of Shakespeare's Scottish play.

[max theodore · Rating 4 out of 5]

absolutely fucking vicious, and i say that positively; this play has TEETH. the first half is basically flawless. the latter half, like the tail end of macbeth, goes off the rails a little bit, and i found it less satisfying--this might be a pacing situation; while i recognize that the central nexus point of this entire story is the relationship between the twins, i wanted more time spent with BF and more focus on his death and D's brother, and the climax especially felt abrupt.

fucking fantastic last scene, though, and the overlapping dialogue throughout the entire thing is DELICIOUSLY sharp. someone in the reviews described it as macbeth meets heathers and yeah, that's it, plus a healthy dash of satirical bite about college applications and school pressure and racism and entitlement. i spent ten dollars on the epub and it was very worth it

[Aaron Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a devilish delight of a play! I had a great time with this. It's funny and quirky and very dark.

[Isabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

also read for my thtr class. didn't like the format

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

really, really good

thoughts:
-liked the overlapping dialogue
-like the bit at the end where the other student says getting into med school is even harder than getting into undergrad was; the sense that L's journey is just beginning. she might have to do something else drastic to get into med school. this line also gives the sense that getting into college is small potatoes compared to other stuff L will have to face, which brings into question the insane lengths she and M went to.

themes:
-race
-ability
-body image
-ambition
-the intense pressure and expectations that many high schoolers face when applying to college
-obsession
-the loss/melding/swapping of identity as twin siblings

[Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine I guess but the ending was GOOD. Not the bf M stuff or the brother and M stuff but THE College scene was really well done. The whole dialogue throughout the play seemed natural but Debbie and L/M’s final scene was perfect writing. I can see why one one production of Peerless has been made/documented but I hope to see this one day. Really interesting!!

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This hits all the right notes as a Shakespeare retelling without leaning too heavily on matching character for character or replicating the plot, but for someone who knows Macbeth it's fun to make the connections. That being said, this is a play that needs to be seen due to the nature of the dialogue and how it constantly overlaps, but I did really enjoy this one.

[Mae Waldron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Modern day Macbeth, but also really reminds me of Heathers. The intensity and exploration of sisterhood and self-preservation and if there's a way to have it all is heartbreaking and tragic despite all of the shit that goes down. Incredibly fast paced, and very mind blowing.

[Abigail Gilman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I get the sense that this would be better seen than read (like most plays), but wow this picks up and is quite the ride! These characters are scarily recognizable, but also hilarious. Would love to see a production of this because the writing is excellent.

[Grace Deadmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just so awesome. I love a Shakespeare retelling and this was just so perfect and I loved it. Actually gagged me a bit at the very end I was shocked. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE BLOODTHIRSTY GIRLS!!!

[Juliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

if macbeth and heathers had a baby that was a gritty fast-paced contemporary play about college admissions and the lengths people go to, it'd be this

the dialogue formatting got a bit clunky to read for me at times but i would LOVE to see this performed to see that pay off on a stage

[Hzhu1011 · Rating 4 out of 5]

she is so talented. The writing style is so unique and fastpased. sometimes hard to follow. one it picture how highschooler talks, two it is how shakespeare language was . so genius. Not really sure if macbeth spinoff college admission works? The concept is cool tho

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s very funny, very dark, and a very strong adaptation of MacB. I’m biased because I played him, but D is a character with a lot of heart.

[Ricki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This modern MacBeth takes on the high-stakes world of early admissions and is one twisted tale.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gloriously creepy with pitch perfect, quick-paced dialogue and atmosphere for days. Macbeth, but BETTER.

[Eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

toxic academic competitiveness turns horror

[Eliana Lazzara · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely insane. no notes. cast me.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really clever.

[Ashley Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

that’s how you do adaptation

[Emily Rose H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bro what just happened!?! That was actually insane and I wasn’t expecting that at all

[Elli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love linebreaks

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting play starring three women and two men. Themes of greed, hope, future, dreams, personal accomplishment, and delusion. “It’s funny until it’s not.”

[aly liew who · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m a sucker for an asian american spin on a classic shakespeare tale. hope to be in this one day

[Talha Agha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved the Macbeth parallel. Wish I could see this play performed live

[Sophia M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genius re-imagining of Macbeth against the backdrop of competitive college admissions. Would love to see this one performed.

[margot · Rating 2 out of 5]

For THE 141. I'm really conflicted. I'm not sure I like the prose and the formatting. I'm not sure the Macbeth allegory works as well as one hopes it might. I'm not sure this is the best way to tell this story.
On the other hand... the greed and slicingly honest cruelty of the twins is a sight to behold.
Opinion subject to change if I'm able to see the show in action, because for now the vision is still a little lost on me.

[Lukas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play obviously needs to be a script to be performed. It's very very fast paced. I have been waiting two years to get a copy of this play. It's loosely based on Shakespeare's "Macbeth," but if Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were two Asian American twin girls competing to get into The College. The play describes itself as "a comedy until it's not." I have to totally agree with that statement. My jaw dropped at some of the moments in the play. I would love to produce it in my lifetime.