Reviews

Conceptually speaking, Mary Page Marlowe is a promising play. Through a series of non-linear scenes, Letts produces a singularly penetrating picture of a fairly ordinary character. To some degree, there are no secondary or tertiary characters. As the title implies, Mary Page Marlowe is Mary's play.

Nevertheless, I am left disappointed. Mary Page Marlowe is surprisingly short, and that is part of the play's problem. While each scene is compelling unto itself, collectively, they do not produce a satisfying play. There is something distinctly impressionistic about Letts approach, and with more room and perhaps more scenes, it could have worked.

camod's review

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sad fast-paced

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

3.0

catdad77a45's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5 As anyone who has seen/read Letts' Pulitzer Prize-winning 'August: Osage County' knows, he is one of the few contemporary male playwrights capable of creating strong, multidimensional female characters (there were seven dynamite roles for actresses in that). In his latest offering, he presents the story of a fairly 'ordinary' woman in 11 non-chronological scenes, in which the titular character ages from 10 months to 69 years, to be played by six different actresses (7, if one includes - presumably - the doll for the earliest incarnation!) Each of the scenes is a gem, some of them quiet, but powerful, some full-throttle emotional tornadoes - but I am not quite sure they add up to more than the sum of their parts.

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