A Play That Will Not Come to Dust While It’s a Troupe’s Lucky Charm is a review by Ben Brantley of the play “Cymbelin.” Ben begins his review by giving a brief overview of the play by using phrases like, “bringing elaborate battle scenes to life,” and “organically blending music into the action and fluidly evoking shifts of time and scene.” The diction that Brantley uses makes the reader get a good feel of the play. His explanation makes me want to get off my computer, take the train to Manhattan, and go watch “Cymbelin!” He continues his review by talking about aspects of the play like the various aspects in a Shakespeare play, the set of the play, and the cast. In the end of his review, he lists things about that play by using phrases like, “there isn’t,” “there weren’t,” or “there’s none of.” Although the things he lists are positive about the play, the phrases that he uses gives the review a negative feel about the play.
A Couple’s Big Break That’s Not So Lucky is a review by Neil Genzlinger of the play “Temporal Powers” and while this play sounds more appealing than “Cybeline,” the review kills it. Unlike Brantley, Genzlinger just gives a plot overview of the entire play without any opinion of the play and the acting. The summary of the play makes his review a very dull one and inferior to the review of Brantley.
Hi!
I actually thought that Genzlinger’s review was more interesting. With the plot he gives the readers, I remembered his review better than Brantley’s after I read it and began writing my post. Even though Brantley does give enough description of the play, I didn’t feel like it was interesting enough to watch. Actually I’m not even sure I know what Cymbeline is about after reading his review.
I’m pretty jealous that the review of Cymbelin makes you want to go see it. I read a review of the New York Philharmonic’s 9/11 memorial concert and I felt the same urge but alas the concert (which was free by the way) had only one show. I suggest that if you want to see it, you should do it soon because you never know how long a show will run for.
Hey Serge!
At the beginning of Brantley’s review, it explained that it was just excerpts from an earlier review he had written about the play. I read that review instead and I can see why they cut it down the way they did. A lot of what was cut out of the original review detracted from it and this version was a much better review even though nothing was added to it.
I agree that Genzlinger’s review kind of kills the play, after reading the review you kind of felt like you just read a spark notes of the play not a review
I agree, I appreciate the critic’s opinions and views of a work of art more than a summary and factual piece of writing.
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