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Really Really: A Play
When morning-after gossip about privileged Davis and ambitious Leigh turns ugly, self-interest collides with the truth and the resulting storm of ambiguity makes it hard to discern just who’s a victim, who’s a predator, and who’s a Future Leader of America. All that’s certain is when the veneer of loyalty and friendship is stripped back, what’s revealed is a vicious jungle of sexual politics, raw ambition, and class warfare where only the strong could possibly survive.
112 pages, Paperback
First published December 25, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 24, 2018
I was on alert when I read the preface and noticed that Colaizzo doesn't mention sexual violence at all. For him the play is about millennials and ambition. All good and well, but the sexual violence that is structurally central to the play, then, becomes simply a by-product of the ambition that Colaizzo really wants to explore and not a topic that he's actually interested in addressing.
Already I am being too kind. Really Really is much, much worse than I thought it was going to be. I thought it would be some kind of typical he-said/she-said thing, and it is that, I suppose, but boy does this play hate women. All three of the female characters are nearly without redeeming qualities – and the play goes about hating the three women for three different reasons! A range of misogyny. It's pretty hard to stomach.
What's even stranger is that it's not like a Neil LaBute play, where the play hates everyone, though readers who love LaBute are the key demographic for Really Really. Instead, the rapist/non-rapist and his best friend (their names are Davis and Cooper–three of the boys have last names for first names) are actually written quite sympathetically.
This is the kind of play that thinks that the central drama of sexual violence is whether or not it actually happened and that is interested fundamentally in why a young woman might lie about having been violated. It's as though this play was written in the 1980s, long before The Accused or The Conduct of Life. In fact, it's as though the author hasn't actually seen or read any dramas related to sexual violence but just really really liked Oleanna and tried to update it.
Obviously, I hated this. I am sure I have more to say, but the idea that some university theatre departments are actually considering putting on this piece is mind-blowing to me.
Already I am being too kind. Really Really is much, much worse than I thought it was going to be. I thought it would be some kind of typical he-said/she-said thing, and it is that, I suppose, but boy does this play hate women. All three of the female characters are nearly without redeeming qualities – and the play goes about hating the three women for three different reasons! A range of misogyny. It's pretty hard to stomach.
What's even stranger is that it's not like a Neil LaBute play, where the play hates everyone, though readers who love LaBute are the key demographic for Really Really. Instead, the rapist/non-rapist and his best friend (their names are Davis and Cooper–three of the boys have last names for first names) are actually written quite sympathetically.
This is the kind of play that thinks that the central drama of sexual violence is whether or not it actually happened and that is interested fundamentally in why a young woman might lie about having been violated. It's as though this play was written in the 1980s, long before The Accused or The Conduct of Life. In fact, it's as though the author hasn't actually seen or read any dramas related to sexual violence but just really really liked Oleanna and tried to update it.
Obviously, I hated this. I am sure I have more to say, but the idea that some university theatre departments are actually considering putting on this piece is mind-blowing to me.
April 25, 2022
Had to read this for class and I’m not thrilled about it. Man writes a play about rape culture but plot twist, he hates women
September 23, 2025
oh wow I really hated this?? I feel deeply unsettled. A man wrote this because??
December 4, 2021
you know the dude who wrote this play spent the entire writing process in a coffee shop telling everyone he was working on a play
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May 7, 2020The roles are mixed, readers and character alike cannot seem to pin down who is assuming what role. This type of hysteria and confusion is the perfect time to introduce the concept of perspective. Getting a limited perspective is what leads to confusion and being deceived. This play sounds like there will be dramatic irony occurring as the readers get to see the tensions that the constituents in the play do not get to see. This inside look allows us to see how our thoughts on the characters change based on how much we know about them (in other words, how much "dirt" we get on them).
This would be good for middle school students because just like this political world, middle schools are incubation centers of gossip, rumors, and drama. Students would most likely be engaged by this content and be able to relate even if the characters are older. Also, this play is more modern than the usual play read in English class, therefore could break some of their ill preconceived notions about dramas.
This would be a great opportunity to stop during reading and have students write about who they believe is to blame for certain bad things happening, or this opposite: who is being blamed that shouldn't. Because of the gossip-filled setting of the novel, these "detective" questions would be readily easy to come up with. Each "check-point" with students could also involve a return to the previous entry to see if they feel any different about it with the new information another scene brought.
This would be good for middle school students because just like this political world, middle schools are incubation centers of gossip, rumors, and drama. Students would most likely be engaged by this content and be able to relate even if the characters are older. Also, this play is more modern than the usual play read in English class, therefore could break some of their ill preconceived notions about dramas.
This would be a great opportunity to stop during reading and have students write about who they believe is to blame for certain bad things happening, or this opposite: who is being blamed that shouldn't. Because of the gossip-filled setting of the novel, these "detective" questions would be readily easy to come up with. Each "check-point" with students could also involve a return to the previous entry to see if they feel any different about it with the new information another scene brought.
January 5, 2015
I also read this play for class. I like reading plays because their format alone allows for them to be read quickly, and a good play will leave an impression. Characters, themes, relationships, conflicts must all be resolved (relatively) by the end. This makes for a pleasant evening with a cup of tea.
While I believe achieved what Colaizzo intended to convey upon writing it, I felt no connection to the characters. Despite being my exact age I felt removed from their problems and concerns and the choices they made and how they went about getting what they wanted. Until a long, extended monologue that served as scene five in act 1, the play felt as if it was trying too hard. The dialogue felt too crass and overly petty. I think scene five, despite outright stating the themes of the play, was cleverly worked to highlight the negative light the "Generation Me" is seen in then turn the idea that Millennials are selfish into presenting that we are compensating because we live in a harsher, more unforgiving world than what we were promised. Of all things in this play, I found this to resonate the most.
What Colaizzo writes in his preface is that this idea of "Generation Me" is not exclusive to Millennials. Talking to older audience members after it first premiered he found that they too also connected to the selfishness of being young and on the brink of trying to survive in the "real world." Aside from the disconnect I felt to every character, I recognized their struggle to survive. To me, that is the most human of connections, we all want to survive in our own way.
While I believe achieved what Colaizzo intended to convey upon writing it, I felt no connection to the characters. Despite being my exact age I felt removed from their problems and concerns and the choices they made and how they went about getting what they wanted. Until a long, extended monologue that served as scene five in act 1, the play felt as if it was trying too hard. The dialogue felt too crass and overly petty. I think scene five, despite outright stating the themes of the play, was cleverly worked to highlight the negative light the "Generation Me" is seen in then turn the idea that Millennials are selfish into presenting that we are compensating because we live in a harsher, more unforgiving world than what we were promised. Of all things in this play, I found this to resonate the most.
What Colaizzo writes in his preface is that this idea of "Generation Me" is not exclusive to Millennials. Talking to older audience members after it first premiered he found that they too also connected to the selfishness of being young and on the brink of trying to survive in the "real world." Aside from the disconnect I felt to every character, I recognized their struggle to survive. To me, that is the most human of connections, we all want to survive in our own way.
July 17, 2018
The writing is fine, but the play's depiction of sexual assault and gender politics is wholly irresponsible.
May 21, 2024
The dialogue is good and I loved one of the scenes and the subject is very heavy. I was not a fan of the ending
April 18, 2019
I did not like this play. I thought the characters were very one dimensional so it was hard to tell them apart. They also had similar language styles. It was hard to feel an emotional attachment to the characters.
I thought the ending was appropriate. Leigh's character was very messed up. Here is my review from my class blog:
Sexual assault has become a common controversial topic to discuss in entertainment today similar to drugs and alcohol. In modern times, entertainment usually portrays the perspective of the victim and how it affects them rather than what the perpetrator goes through. Therefore, Colaizzo’s play took a common topic and presented in a unique way since he showed both victim and perpetuator. Sexual assault is not acceptable under any circumstance, but before knowing what Davis did I honestly did not see it coming that he would assault someone. He seemed like a guy who wanted to keep his love life private and focus on school. So, to find out later how aggressive he is towards women reiterated the idea that sexual assault can happen to anyone and can be caused by anyone. Due to the current political climate condemning sexual assault, the issue of how the characters handled the assault affected my opinion of them. Most of the characters took this very serious situation and either used it to their advantage or denied that it happened. Most of them were unwilling to support Leigh aside from her sister and Jimmy since the others didn’t want any harm to come to Davis or themselves. This made me upset since we have been taught to believe the victim and encourage them to speak up, which is what Leigh tried to do. Therefore, I felt annoyed with the characters. However, Leigh also took this situation and used it to her advantage to stay with Jimmy.
The issue of “blame” seems to always come up in sexual assault cases. I did not have a problem with the issue of blaming being ambiguous. In most sexual assault cases, unless someone was physically present in the situation and sober, it’s pretty much always a case of she said he said. I thought Colaizzo did a good job of keeping the nature of what happened ambiguous . I thought it was also good writing that Davis did not blame Leigh at all for what happened since it was not her fault. I was glad he did not say things like “but you were drunk too” or “you have always liked me” to reason that what happened was okay.
I thought Colaizzo manipulated his audience from the very beginning. The back and forth of the male characters, female characters, and Grace made the play difficult to follow. It took some time for me to remember the difference in personality between the male characters since they all spoke with similar language styles. I also felt like separate scenes of male characters and female characters were the most interesting part, but he slowed down the action with Grace’s club meeting. This forced me to focus on a different issue of what my generation is doing rather than the importance of the sexual assault. It kind of took away the meaning of the assault by presenting it as life goes on, and there are more important things to worry about. Colaizzo did a good job of showing that Davis and Leigh had some complexity, but the other characters seemed one dimensional, selfish, and unlikeable.
Overall, I am not sure how I should feel about Leigh. I think it was awful that she was sexually assaulted, but in the final scene she willing tried to play the victim, and admitted to using Jimmy for money. I thought the final lines was a very fitting ending, but I wish I had more emotional attachment to the characters.
I thought the ending was appropriate. Leigh's character was very messed up. Here is my review from my class blog:
Sexual assault has become a common controversial topic to discuss in entertainment today similar to drugs and alcohol. In modern times, entertainment usually portrays the perspective of the victim and how it affects them rather than what the perpetrator goes through. Therefore, Colaizzo’s play took a common topic and presented in a unique way since he showed both victim and perpetuator. Sexual assault is not acceptable under any circumstance, but before knowing what Davis did I honestly did not see it coming that he would assault someone. He seemed like a guy who wanted to keep his love life private and focus on school. So, to find out later how aggressive he is towards women reiterated the idea that sexual assault can happen to anyone and can be caused by anyone. Due to the current political climate condemning sexual assault, the issue of how the characters handled the assault affected my opinion of them. Most of the characters took this very serious situation and either used it to their advantage or denied that it happened. Most of them were unwilling to support Leigh aside from her sister and Jimmy since the others didn’t want any harm to come to Davis or themselves. This made me upset since we have been taught to believe the victim and encourage them to speak up, which is what Leigh tried to do. Therefore, I felt annoyed with the characters. However, Leigh also took this situation and used it to her advantage to stay with Jimmy.
The issue of “blame” seems to always come up in sexual assault cases. I did not have a problem with the issue of blaming being ambiguous. In most sexual assault cases, unless someone was physically present in the situation and sober, it’s pretty much always a case of she said he said. I thought Colaizzo did a good job of keeping the nature of what happened ambiguous . I thought it was also good writing that Davis did not blame Leigh at all for what happened since it was not her fault. I was glad he did not say things like “but you were drunk too” or “you have always liked me” to reason that what happened was okay.
I thought Colaizzo manipulated his audience from the very beginning. The back and forth of the male characters, female characters, and Grace made the play difficult to follow. It took some time for me to remember the difference in personality between the male characters since they all spoke with similar language styles. I also felt like separate scenes of male characters and female characters were the most interesting part, but he slowed down the action with Grace’s club meeting. This forced me to focus on a different issue of what my generation is doing rather than the importance of the sexual assault. It kind of took away the meaning of the assault by presenting it as life goes on, and there are more important things to worry about. Colaizzo did a good job of showing that Davis and Leigh had some complexity, but the other characters seemed one dimensional, selfish, and unlikeable.
Overall, I am not sure how I should feel about Leigh. I think it was awful that she was sexually assaulted, but in the final scene she willing tried to play the victim, and admitted to using Jimmy for money. I thought the final lines was a very fitting ending, but I wish I had more emotional attachment to the characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2020
Paul Downs Colaizzo's play begins with an introduction on the realness of its characters and how people after one of the performances would approach him and tell him how accurately he captured this sort of life. Because of this, I was excited to read it. But then I read it.
At first glance, it is difficult to associate with the characters because of how un-lifelike and unrealistic the dialogue is. It is drawing more attention to itself than it is drawing attention to the lives of the characters. Something I will always hate is writing that draws attention to itself. It makes me feel that the author does not care about their characters, but rather how they look writing them. Scenes 2 and 3 of Act I specifically were heavy-handed in Colaizzo's uses of similes and metaphors that come across as masturbatory rather than expository. Aside from this, the story begins to pick up towards the end of Act I and Act II doesn't really give any answers either. Some moments would edge towards something personal and honest, before going back into an unnecessarily and unearned moments of drama.
A tale of he-said, she-said that reminded me, in a sense, of the handling of rumors by young people? I don't know what I am supposed to take away from this, but it did not ask any questions of myself nor did it change any positions I had going into it.
At first glance, it is difficult to associate with the characters because of how un-lifelike and unrealistic the dialogue is. It is drawing more attention to itself than it is drawing attention to the lives of the characters. Something I will always hate is writing that draws attention to itself. It makes me feel that the author does not care about their characters, but rather how they look writing them. Scenes 2 and 3 of Act I specifically were heavy-handed in Colaizzo's uses of similes and metaphors that come across as masturbatory rather than expository. Aside from this, the story begins to pick up towards the end of Act I and Act II doesn't really give any answers either. Some moments would edge towards something personal and honest, before going back into an unnecessarily and unearned moments of drama.
A tale of he-said, she-said that reminded me, in a sense, of the handling of rumors by young people? I don't know what I am supposed to take away from this, but it did not ask any questions of myself nor did it change any positions I had going into it.
February 9, 2021
This is an intense look at college students who will do anything to protect the future they see for themselves and the pressure this creates.
The conflict revolves around what happened in a bedroom at a wild party, and honestly, the play ends with more questions than solid answers.
But no one is left untarnished by the choices they make in the aftermath.
Overall, the characters seem horrible people all around, and their motivations for even being connected to one another are loose, at best. The whole thing feels disjointed, and the final scene develops into violence that is unnecessary to make the point the author was going for.
If a character believes himself capable of raping a person, does the audience need to see the rape to validate this? My thought is no, but the author feels otherwise.
I can’t really come to a conclusion on my overall thoughts on this play, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t like it.
The conflict revolves around what happened in a bedroom at a wild party, and honestly, the play ends with more questions than solid answers.
But no one is left untarnished by the choices they make in the aftermath.
Overall, the characters seem horrible people all around, and their motivations for even being connected to one another are loose, at best. The whole thing feels disjointed, and the final scene develops into violence that is unnecessary to make the point the author was going for.
If a character believes himself capable of raping a person, does the audience need to see the rape to validate this? My thought is no, but the author feels otherwise.
I can’t really come to a conclusion on my overall thoughts on this play, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t like it.
April 3, 2024
I feel like there are individual moments within the play that are really strong, but the whole point gets kind of muddled in the end because Colaizzo doesn't seem to know how to end it. I'm not opposed to the idea that Leigh is lying(?) and manipulating this whole situation to her benefit, but then there needs to be more clarity to that early on.
As is, it feels like a super-villain mic drop moment to twist at the end of the play like, "actually the perpetrator is the victim" here. Again, though, if that's the play you want to write, fine! But I just frankly don't know what's happening at the end.
The character of Haley is so odd to me. Like, truly a bizarre creation whose every action confused me. Weird play, even weirder that no one has tried to do this concept again, like ever, in a mainstream way, so this is kind of the definitive show about rape culture on college campuses for the time being.
As is, it feels like a super-villain mic drop moment to twist at the end of the play like, "actually the perpetrator is the victim" here. Again, though, if that's the play you want to write, fine! But I just frankly don't know what's happening at the end.
The character of Haley is so odd to me. Like, truly a bizarre creation whose every action confused me. Weird play, even weirder that no one has tried to do this concept again, like ever, in a mainstream way, so this is kind of the definitive show about rape culture on college campuses for the time being.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2021
Staging this play must be an overwhelming experience. The build-up, tension, confusion, and misrepresentation throughout the scenes absolutely cannot prepare an audience for the closing moments. I can only imagine how it must feel to sit with it after the lights rise; merely reading it was deeply uncomfortable and visceral. On the other hand, Really Really contains some truly biting and enjoyable humor. It walks a line between telling us what it's about, while also trying to point out what it's actually about. Given that it's a play, it's a relatively short read, which lends itself to being re-read and re-analyzed, which I think may deeply increase the value one can get from it if one, like me, has not yet had the opportunity to view it live.
July 5, 2023
Hated it. Reading this script left me feeling gross. Right from the beginning, none of these characters are likable. Sometimes that makes for a great story, but not in this case. And then a huge event happens halfway through and you think this is gonna become an important piece but instead becomes exploitative and disgusting. The story didn’t even go anywhere! That final scene was purely for shock value and trying to be edgy but it does nothing for the play. Also, it’s described as comedic? There’s only one good joke in the whole play.
June 29, 2023
I wish this was “Lord of the Flies with smartphones” but LOTF built suspense and you cared about some characters. I hate all of these people and not in a fun way. There’s just no subtlety here, which some may argue is “the point” but it did nothing for me. The plot has so much potential, and the reveals could be ínstense but… meh. I did enjoy Grace and Haley.
Huge set with high end requirements. Not to be taken on lightly by a small company on a budget.
Huge set with high end requirements. Not to be taken on lightly by a small company on a budget.
January 24, 2018
I also read this play for work. It was definitely... interesting. I think the one comment I read before diving in helped me gain some perspective on the author's end goals. He apparently wrote this with the perspective that there was no hope for his generation. That kind of explains a lot. It was a heavy plot with kind of a bleak outlook, but it definitely makes you pause and think.
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September 19, 2022It was an interesting read, one that gripped me. However, I don't necessarily know how I feel about the portrayal of the assault victim in this story. It serves the theme, but it also could be taken as demonization of sexual assault survivors. Especially at the end of the second act when Leigh appears to "make" Davis repeat the offense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2025
I read this a while ago for my acting class. I actually really disliked it. Then I was forced to act out one of the scenes, where I was cast as the rapist character. God, this play sucks. It hates women, and I can tell by the way they are written. While the rapist is written as sympathetic. Based on other reviews, I can see I was not alone in hating this. It just sucks.
February 1, 2019
Wowww, I really loved this play, although all of the plot twists confused me about if she actually was pregnant or not? and if not, then why all the blood? I also enjoyed the playwright's sense of humor. Would love to see this staged professionally
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2019
The central message of this play is that poor women will incite or accuse rich men of rape in order to get what they want. For the love of all that is good in the world, please DO NOT PRODUCE IT. Or use it for scenes and monologues. I know it's tempting, but this is not ok.
August 3, 2023
This really was just kind of icky all around. The way it handled the main conflict of the sexual violence and everything was just simply not good and it was just done poorly. I thought it was going to make some kind of point to make up for things but nope
February 26, 2024
Too many plot twists. Didn’t appreciate the ending. Sexual assault is already not taken seriously. It tried to be good and definitely kept me wanting to read it, but disappointed by the end. Lord of the flies was much better.
January 15, 2025
This play is harmful to women. This place is especially harmful to female victims of assault. It treats women as angry predators and men as lonely creatures beholden to primal urges. I think this will have a negative impact on the discussion people have around victims of assault and rape.
February 14, 2018
3.5 stars.
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September 20, 2019what....... the fuck
(HUGE content warning for rape)
(HUGE content warning for rape)
January 12, 2021
I was hoping this play would age well in a post #metoo era. It doesn't. Its a weird pseudo-millenial-adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire, but far less nuanced.
February 27, 2021
A dangerous counter-narrative.
May 8, 2021
Theatre M.A. here, genuinely the worst show I have ever seen and read.
November 19, 2021
Not my first time reading, and certainly wont be my last. Excellent pace, excellent material.
September 10, 2022
A brutal play on a triggering topic. Loved it.
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