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kimberly_levaco's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Ruhl has an incredibly knack for creating a uniquely distinct visual language.
ponch22's review against another edition
4.0
Read this because a local playhouse is doing this this year and I wanted to prepare for the auditions. Unfortunately, I could have looked at the character list in the front of the book and realized that the one 40-50-year-old man was out of my wheelhouse.
Still glad I read it. It's a good play able to be performed in a small space with limited set. There are some scene changes, but as I read it I imagined the different settings could easily be indicated with lighting and sound. The scenes are often very short, so I imagine costuming would have to be pretty simplistic as well (days often pass between scenes and I believe realistic costumes would create some very hectic scene changes).
The play's central character, Matilde, is a British cleaning lady whose parents both died laughing. She spends most of the play trying to create the funniest joke in the world and I was a little sad the play didn't deliver with what it ended up being (although I'm sure no matter what [a:Sarah Ruhl|81678|Sarah Ruhl|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-F-50x66-2a9d702c2a0f483c9f7dd119cc28a9a7.jpg] would have written would have disappointed). Quick read if you have a few hours to kill.
Still glad I read it. It's a good play able to be performed in a small space with limited set. There are some scene changes, but as I read it I imagined the different settings could easily be indicated with lighting and sound. The scenes are often very short, so I imagine costuming would have to be pretty simplistic as well (days often pass between scenes and I believe realistic costumes would create some very hectic scene changes).
The play's central character, Matilde, is a British cleaning lady whose parents both died laughing. She spends most of the play trying to create the funniest joke in the world and I was a little sad the play didn't deliver with what it ended up being (although I'm sure no matter what [a:Sarah Ruhl|81678|Sarah Ruhl|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-F-50x66-2a9d702c2a0f483c9f7dd119cc28a9a7.jpg] would have written would have disappointed). Quick read if you have a few hours to kill.
annadrinksmilk's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tonsillitis's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
emilysoup's review against another edition
had to read the play for school - only needed to read act 1 for the assignment and got too caught up in other work to return for act 2 (date stopped is inaccurate i just don’t remember when it actually was)
ebunk's review against another edition
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
elsarrrr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Just. Read it. So funny such clever writing I have nothing more to say. No criticism at all.