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The Return
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 26, 2025
This play was fantastic. The characters were so clear and it played with themes of social mobility, prison reform, and gender-based violence. The ideas of justice that were tackled were substantial and interested to see unfold.
The language is stark and the characters feel real to me. The play feels like a tangled string that comes undone so well at the end! It is cyclical and no words are wasted. I would love to see this play.
Two brilliant quotes:
"That's what my mum used ta say. I don't wanna be a burden. Then one day she just dropped dead. Left me wishin' I'd let her be a burden. Just once."
"Ya can't kill me off with words."
The language is stark and the characters feel real to me. The play feels like a tangled string that comes undone so well at the end! It is cyclical and no words are wasted. I would love to see this play.
Two brilliant quotes:
"That's what my mum used ta say. I don't wanna be a burden. Then one day she just dropped dead. Left me wishin' I'd let her be a burden. Just once."
"Ya can't kill me off with words."
November 29, 2020
4/5
Very interesting play, very short but explores some interesting ideas along the way.
Very interesting play, very short but explores some interesting ideas along the way.
May 23, 2023
Upon re-reading this novel, I take back my initial review.
This play lacks depth with many characters (such as Lisa, who has little to no character development throughout the entirety, remaining the 'helpless victim') and poorly explores many of the ideas thrown in. I feel that the portrayal of gay men was heavily stereotyped and somewhat harmful as they are simply characterised as obsessed, violent or shallow. Perhaps this could have been okay if the idea of homosexuality was properly discussed/explored, but it feels more like a plot device than anything. I also believe that the idea of class and specifically the lower class was heavily stigmatised with the two lower class characterised as 'thugs', being violent and uneducated. I recognise that the purpose of the play was to represent these classes and 'flip the power imbalance', however the way that the author went about this did more harm than good.
Overall, its clear that the author wrote about topics/experiences he personally has not experienced or has any right to discuss. Perhaps if he was more knowledgeable on the subjects this play would have been more successful in conveying its 'message'
This play lacks depth with many characters (such as Lisa, who has little to no character development throughout the entirety, remaining the 'helpless victim') and poorly explores many of the ideas thrown in. I feel that the portrayal of gay men was heavily stereotyped and somewhat harmful as they are simply characterised as obsessed, violent or shallow. Perhaps this could have been okay if the idea of homosexuality was properly discussed/explored, but it feels more like a plot device than anything. I also believe that the idea of class and specifically the lower class was heavily stigmatised with the two lower class characterised as 'thugs', being violent and uneducated. I recognise that the purpose of the play was to represent these classes and 'flip the power imbalance', however the way that the author went about this did more harm than good.
Overall, its clear that the author wrote about topics/experiences he personally has not experienced or has any right to discuss. Perhaps if he was more knowledgeable on the subjects this play would have been more successful in conveying its 'message'
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews