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just_fighting_censorship's review against another edition
4.0
This is kind of a darker satirical “While you were Sleeping” in that our main character is a quiet mousy girl who falls in love with a dead man and answers his cell phone. She is then roped into his life, meeting is mother, widow, brother, and even his mistress.
The absurdity of the situation and especially the climax is purposeful and intriguing. The concept of the afterlife and everyone having a single outfit that they must wash once a week in the nude was a relatively small detail but a great example of the understated humor.
The unfolding of the true character of the dead man, Gordon is masterful.
I even enjoyed the writer’s director notes at the end as they too were laced with subtle humor and offered insight into the writer.
Overall, a nice dark comedy that has something to say about love stories.
The absurdity of the situation and especially the climax is purposeful and intriguing. The concept of the afterlife and everyone having a single outfit that they must wash once a week in the nude was a relatively small detail but a great example of the understated humor.
The unfolding of the true character of the dead man, Gordon is masterful.
I even enjoyed the writer’s director notes at the end as they too were laced with subtle humor and offered insight into the writer.
Overall, a nice dark comedy that has something to say about love stories.
booksandpaiges's review against another edition
3.0
thank you to my friend grace for gifting this to me!!
this book was very reflective and funny. it is a play, so know that before you pick it up!! it was one of the first plays I've read in years, but I enjoyed it a lot!
this book was very reflective and funny. it is a play, so know that before you pick it up!! it was one of the first plays I've read in years, but I enjoyed it a lot!
elwinter's review against another edition
2.0
I was the fight choreographer for a production of this play, so I don't want to bite the hand the feeds me or anything... but... not really my cup of tea. If you enjoy surrealistic "comedy" you might like it more than I did.
kienie's review against another edition
2.0
Yeah. I'll wait and see the performance before reviewing.
twirlsandwhirls's review
4.0
I haven't read any Sarah Ruhl or seen her plays produced before but wanted to read this and The Vibrator Play. It's certainly an odd story, which I usually enjoy in plays. I liked that the stage directions encouraged directors to have fun with it. I could really see a bit of what a production would look like. This play is less about the plot and more about what characters do when put in high-pressure situations or moral conundrums. What would you do if you saw a dead man in a cafe whose phone was ringing? I wouldn't answer it but the play is a series of zany what ifs. What if you answer? What would you do then? Yes and. I'd really love to see the scene in the stationery store, mostly to see how they'd get that across with minimal staging. It was a nice change of pace from my more recent reading.
tscott907's review
3.5
This isn’t my favorite of Ruhl’s plays, especially because it’s become pretty much a tentpole of introductory-acting-class monologue material, but I still found it to be deeply sad and lovely. Jean is a fabulous protagonist and I’ve always found Ruhl’s usage of stage directions as subtext extremely fascinating.
luminesse's review
3.0
I just think that this play is incoherent, unwhole. There is some nice writing and some very nice ideas, but the overall coherence of the play is disappointing.