Reviews

Sam Shepard is one of those actors that makes an impression on you. I've always liked him as an actor but I didn't realize he sees himself more as a writer and director. He's written many things including this play.

This play leaves many things unsaid, creating a very disturbing mood. It isn't until the end that you finally pull together all the meaningful things that were never stated but can now be seen.

mgoscinski's review against another edition

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dark

3.5

futureisfowl's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

jennchandler's review against another edition

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4.0

Ooof. There are some moments that punched me in the heart. There are also moments where I just shook my head in disbelief. And that ending...

annaavian's review against another edition

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3.0

A dark story about the decline of an American way of life and a family, that has gotten left behind within the changing times, losing themselves in a blur of treachery, self-denial and retribution that threatens to extend through the generations backward and forward.

ryryreadsbooks23's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The classic structure of an American family harboring a secret, just with Shepard's postmodern swings at structure and genre. The character that interrupts the narrative enters Act II and then leaves after said Act, only to return inebriated in Act III, stumbling into an inheritance. Realism is picked at with a kind of 24-hour harvest cycle. There is a purpose behind Tilden entering with corn, then carrots, and then a buried child. Navigating a love for Shepard's work is that kinda thing where you have to remind yourself his character's actions are not his own. Shelly being cornered by Bradley is uncomfortable but there for a reason. Shepard emasculates the men by having them perform masculinity. That's why it's so funny when Halie comes back home in Act III and all the men revert to little boys that need a good scolding. It's crazy this lasted on Broadway with its themes of deconstructing the nuclear family. When the minister leaves at the end of the play, did no one catch that ideas of God are invalid in this brutal country with buried secrets?

pomegranatepanacea's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

i can see why this won the pulitzer prize

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