So, you know how I said this post was my last one for the holidays? I lied. Because I just had to pop back on to show you this awesome review that the Sacramento News & Review did of Uh, Yup‘s Production of The Love of Three Oranges. This is the highest profile review the show has ever gotten and the reviewer gave it four out of a possible five stars! A massive congratulations go to the whole cast and crew of the show, it really sounds like it’s a great production. If you’re in the area, it runs until December 17th so there’s still a chance to catch it before it closes.

Needless to say, I’m totally bummed this is going on across the country and I can’t go see it!

One thing that gave me a real thrill reading this review is that the reporter specifically signaled out The Mute Bumpkin as a favorite part. The Mute Bumpkin (and all the bumpkins) are Hillary DePiano originals. With so many elements of this play borrowed from the source material, it’s fun to know the stuff I added is working out there in the wild and that people are enjoying it.

Lastly, I want to point out that Uh, Yup is a brand new theatre company and that Three Oranges is their very first play! I am humbled and flattered that they chose this show to launch their company and I cannot thank them enough for doing the play such justice.

Here’s a little excerpt of what they say specifically about the play:

Take a classical commedia dell’arte story, add a prologue that grants accessibility to any audience, then finish it off with fanciful characters that project themselves far beyond the limits of their masks. It’s a concoction that produces The Love of Three Oranges by Hillary DePiano, the freshman show of Sacramento’s newest theater company, Uh, Yup Productions. The show is produced and directed by Kara Ow.

The Narrator (Brittaleigha Baskerville) explains that the audience’s laughter and applause is a vital part of the show. The plot is a simple story that has served commedia for centuries, a plot about a sad king, a lover-boy prince and the necessity of thwarting evil forces. This premise, coupled with clowns and henchmen, creates an original universe where plot takes a backseat to the colorful characters.

(…)

This play has something for everyone: slapstick for the younger order, subtle sexy jokes for the older and sophomoric japes for everyone.

You can read the full article here.

Just wanted to point out this review of The Love of Three Oranges as written by the sister of a cast member. The author wrote lots of very nice things about the play in general and I thank her for it!

You can read the review here.

I was investigating this mysterious possibly a lot of sales in an hour equally possibly just an Amazon bug thing and I got a nice surprise in the form of another great review of The Trading Assistant’s Assistant. (I cannot figure out how to link to their review directly but it is currently featured on the homepage of their blog.) If you cannot find it on their blog, the entire review can be read on Amazon as they were kind enough to post it both places.

No other book I have written has been so well reviewed and I have never gotten so many reviews from random websites here and there like I have for this book so I really appreciate the interest and support! If you want your own copy, (assuming the 25 books at once bandit is not still at large) you can get one at Amazon.

Update: Here is the direct link: http://tjbook-list.blogspot.com/2008/06/review-trading-assistants-assistant-by.html