Two years ago I saw Philip Dawkins' one-act play
Failure: A Love Story at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, and it was one of my favorite things I've ever seen at the Fringe. In fact I called it "everything I want in theater," a perfect blend of comedy and tragedy, with tons of heart (and it made me cry perhaps more than any other theater I've seen). At the time I didn't know who Philip Dawkins was, but now I know he's a Chicago-based playwright who is a
core writer with the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis. His name has come up again recently when his new play
Charm (also a mix of comedy and tragedy with heart) was produced at Mixed Blood earlier this year. And now comes
Le Switch, developed at the Playwrights' Center and having a rolling world premiere this year, including at the Jungle Theater. I'm happy to report that like
Failure, it gave me all of the feels (although I only shed a few tears, not buckets, probably because there are no animals in this one). Like
Failure,
Le Switch is a funny and beautiful love story, but not just a romantic love story (although there is that, and a wonderful one). It's also a love story between a brother and a sister who are each other's only family; a love story between childhood best friends who, despite their differences, still love and support each other unconditionally; a love story between the main character and a man who was more of a father to him than his biological father ever was or could be. It's a fantastic new play and I'm excited to see where it goes next.
