Short. Poignant. “I Love Lucy” and 9/11. Sanchez offers a moving example of what all good monologues should do: approach their subject from the side, not head on. It’s the key to avoiding sentimentality. The young character Tomas can only come to terms with his father’s death through the seemingly unconnected memory of the re-runs constantly playing in his house. His imitation of Lucy’s cry “Wah!!!!!!” quickly changes into “real pain” then “silence.” It’s a well crafted shift on the part of the playwright, and a subtle entry point for this character into real grief and commemoration. Good monologues should have a certain tension; a sense of reluctance on the part of the speaker to actually talk about the subject at hand. So they often pick an arbitrary, random, unlikely departure point. But good monologues also make sure we end up where the speaker doesn’t really intend to go, but certainly needs to. And we appreciate it.