Reviews

Seminar: A New Comedy by Theresa Rebeck

lou_prnts's review against another edition

3.0

(kind of spoiler-ish)

what's annoying is that i really really enjoyed it, i loved acting out the dialogues and everything; but the characterization of the women... what was the point? that whole thing about izzy and the "sexy asian", kate being possibly in love with martin, them both having sex with leonard felt just?? so irrelevant??? maybe this is what happens in writing seminars what do i know but it just felt out of the blue and took me out of it so many times

ok edit: if this was about women being empowered through sexuality... it did not work on me AT ALL; maybe if the story was more focused on izzy and kate, and not being always described through... kind of the men? ik technically it was a play so no narrator, but the audience only knew what the men knew: we learn through douglas that izzy had sex with leonard and it gets confirmed through martin's deception (the confirmation), we had no idea izzy would be interested in martin but we know that he did, we learn through martin that kate had sex with leonard.... am i making sense?

toniclark's review

4.0

Enjoyed it! Maybe, in no small part, because I have been in many writing seminars.

kimberly_levaco's review against another edition

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

The dreaded day has arrived… I have read a Theresa Rebeck play. And it was just as bad as expected. The characters were all awful people, which in itself isn’t bad but the fact that they are so one dimensional I could hardly finish the script is where the harm lay. Not to mention the blatantly sexist portrayal of the female characters along with the lack of anything ‘deep’ being said, despite the fact that Rebeck thought she was doing the most. 

thematinee's review against another edition

5.0

“It really is the only way to learn anything about writing, to have a decent editor go through it word by word for you. Help you see what it is, what you meant. What you didn’t even KNOW you meant...”

Goddamn.

baileyboldt's review against another edition

funny reflective fast-paced

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

2.5

ellenschiavone's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

gnothiseauton's review

dark funny 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

4.25

semiiii's review against another edition

1.0

I hated this play. First of all, the idea that Alan Rickman played Leonard BAFFLES me. The character is described as fierce and brilliant, but his dialogue really does not reflect those attributes at all. The one character that I even remotely had good feelings for was Martin, and he was seen by the other characters as an ass hole! None of the characters were redeeming. They all felt bad for themselves and tore each other to shreds. The play had nothing but a tone that screamed "woe is me" and a two hour show cannot stand on that. Yuck. Yuck yuck yuck.

probablyabigail's review against another edition

fast-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

1.5

kaceymarie13's review against another edition

Really great and compelling story.