Sarasota Herald-Tribune - One of the Top 5 Plays for 2008
In The Belly of the Beast
'08 plays make an impression
By Jay Handelman
"Some of the Top 5 of 2008 are dark looks at life, others more celebratory, but each had some element that helped it stay in the mind long after the curtain came down.
In the Belly of the Beast -- Based on Jack Henry Abbott's indictment of the prison and criminal justice system, this gripping play made the audience feel the pressure and danger prisoners face at almost every moment. Abbott, who was originally sentenced to prison for forgery, became a literary celebrity after Norman Mailer helped to publish his writings, leading to another prison term for murder . A strong three-member cast worked on a mostly bare stage with director Debra Whitfield to make this both a frightening and invigorating production at Florida Studio Theatre's Stage III."