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hazeldye's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
thebryceiswrong's review against another edition
5.0
And I want to read it again and again and again
jillian_lw's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a great primer to Sarah Ruhl’s writing style. Most of her essay ideas had fairly quotidian inspirations, but she expands outward to connect these ideas to other observations she has made about theater and the world. The effect is like a released balloon drifting off into the sky, and I found it soothing. My favorite of her essay ideas are:
18. Calvino and lightness
19. Satyr plays inside tragedies
50. On pleasure
58. More pleasure and more bad plays
59. It’s beautiful, but I don’t like it
Her assertions that the aesthetically light and subjectively “bad” are still valuable resonated with me. As a lover of reality dating television, this may be because I’m seeking validation that “trashy” shows are not a waste of time. I also liked the idea of sharing art for the purpose of pleasure rather than to gather feedback or praise (On pleasure), as well as the idea that something can be well-crafted yet fail to move an audience (It’s beautiful, but I don’t like it).
I didn’t necessarily find a rhythm while reading. While the essay ideas are loosely related, they are discrete. This made the reading experience slightly staccato. I’m looking forward to reading more of her writing and seeing her plays performed.
18. Calvino and lightness
19. Satyr plays inside tragedies
50. On pleasure
58. More pleasure and more bad plays
59. It’s beautiful, but I don’t like it
Her assertions that the aesthetically light and subjectively “bad” are still valuable resonated with me. As a lover of reality dating television, this may be because I’m seeking validation that “trashy” shows are not a waste of time. I also liked the idea of sharing art for the purpose of pleasure rather than to gather feedback or praise (On pleasure), as well as the idea that something can be well-crafted yet fail to move an audience (It’s beautiful, but I don’t like it).
I didn’t necessarily find a rhythm while reading. While the essay ideas are loosely related, they are discrete. This made the reading experience slightly staccato. I’m looking forward to reading more of her writing and seeing her plays performed.
elangowitz's review against another edition
4.0
Think I would like this even more if I were a playwright or an actress or in any way related to theatre. But I will definitely be buying it for all those friends who are.
robbschuneman's review against another edition
3.0
I was misled by marketers like the others - this is a book about the world of theater and the role of playwrights within that world - I thought the essays would be anecdotes of the creative life and how becoming a parent affects it. That said, her thinking was interesting and so well expressed that it held my interest even though it concerned and extensively referenced a world I know nothing about. Her tone can be a bit wrapped up in itself at times, but then she will say something that makes me smile, that changes how I think about the topic.
Kudos to Sarah Ruhl, shame on the marketing department of this publisher. Enjoy your sales at the expense of finding your author the proper audience to enjoy her wonderful writing.
Kudos to Sarah Ruhl, shame on the marketing department of this publisher. Enjoy your sales at the expense of finding your author the proper audience to enjoy her wonderful writing.
cdlindwall's review against another edition
3.0
At times witty and perceptive and charming. At times obscure and unrelatable, especially to someone who has spent little times reading or watching plays. A quick read, organized into 100, one-to-two page essays on lots of things, most at least tangentially related to theater.
If nothing else, I am always moved by people so immersed in the beauty of artistic pursuit (especially language), and this shines through in Ruhl's collection.
If nothing else, I am always moved by people so immersed in the beauty of artistic pursuit (especially language), and this shines through in Ruhl's collection.
greensalbet's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
There is so much wisdom in this tiny book of essays, musings I wish I'd thought of, and connections I've made but never articulated as gracefully as Ruhl does. I particularly enjoyed her essays about the depth of familial love, delight in her young children's wonder and awe; and, finally, her experiences with the creative process as a playwright.
Here is one snippet from this lovely book of Essays:
Umbrellas on stage
“Why are umbrellas so pleasing on stage? The illusion of being outside and being under the eternal sky is created by a real object. A metaphor of limitlessness is created by the very real limit of an actual umbrella indoors. Cosmology is brought low by the temporary shelter of the individual against water. The sight of an umbrella makes us want to feel both wet and dry: the presence of rain, and the dryness of shelter. The umbrella is real on stage, and the rain is the fiction. Even if there are drops of water produced by a stage manager, we know that it won’t really rain on us, and therein lies the total pleasure of theater. A real thing that creates a world of illusory things.
I have an umbrella with a picture of the sky inside. My daughter Anna said, when she was three and underneath it, ‘We have two skies, the umbrella sky and the real sky.’ When I went out with her in the rain recently without an umbrella, she said. ‘It’s all right, Mama. I will be your umbrella.’ And she put her arms over my head.” (6).
Content Warnings
There is so much wisdom in this tiny book of essays, musings I wish I'd thought of, and connections I've made but never articulated as gracefully as Ruhl does. I particularly enjoyed her essays about the depth of familial love, delight in her young children's wonder and awe; and, finally, her experiences with the creative process as a playwright.
Here is one snippet from this lovely book of 100 Essays:
Umbrellas on stage
“Why are umbrellas so pleasing on stage? The illusion of being outside and being under the eternal sky is created by a real object. A metaphor of limitlessness is created by the very real limit of an actual umbrella indoors. Cosmology is brought low by the temporary shelter of the individual against water. The sight of an umbrella makes us want to feel both wet and dry: the presence of rain, and the dryness of shelter. The umbrella is real on stage, and the rain is the fiction. Even if there are drops of water produced by a stage manager, we know that it won’t really rain on us, and therein lies the total pleasure of theater. A real thing that creates a world of illusory things.
I have an umbrella with a picture of the sky inside. My daughter Anna said, when she was three and underneath it, ‘We have two skies, the umbrella sky and the real sky.’ When I went out with her in the rain recently without an umbrella, she said. ‘It’s all right, Mama. I will be your umbrella.’ And she put her arms over my head.” (6).