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theresafj's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was good it just didn’t hook me
tabithae's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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
1.5
alyssagongora's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
s_books's review against another edition
3.0
Short play dealing with heavy topics: being black, poverty, inequality...
elfboy486's review against another edition
5.0
This is a truly powerful play. Difficult to read and perform. I like these characters; I want them to succeed and end happily, but I know that is unlikely. There is anger and buried resentment bubbling between these brothers.
Sibling rivalry is a difficult and wildly divergent topic. For some people, it brings out their best: they compete and give and earn respect from the competition. For others, one's success fuels resentment and jealousy. Your success is my failure. Lincoln and Booth have the latter relationship. Link's outward success drive Booth to desperate and despicable acts.
Is this relationship the result of perceived insult, sibling rivalry, perceived fraternal abandonment (Link left the hustler life for a normal, sit-down job), parental abandonment, or some combination of all of these? How large a factor was the breaking of their home, the relative happiness of the family, in the formation of this relationship?
Ultimately, the relationship between Booth and Lincoln is the heart of this piece, and it ends in the only way it could.
We are told a lot about previous events, but what parts are true? Are either of these characters reliable narrators? Every time we learn something of the past, we must ask: why do the characters bring it up just then? What do they gain from that memory?
Sibling rivalry is a difficult and wildly divergent topic. For some people, it brings out their best: they compete and give and earn respect from the competition. For others, one's success fuels resentment and jealousy. Your success is my failure. Lincoln and Booth have the latter relationship. Link's outward success drive Booth to desperate and despicable acts.
Is this relationship the result of perceived insult, sibling rivalry, perceived fraternal abandonment (Link left the hustler life for a normal, sit-down job), parental abandonment, or some combination of all of these? How large a factor was the breaking of their home, the relative happiness of the family, in the formation of this relationship?
Ultimately, the relationship between Booth and Lincoln is the heart of this piece, and it ends in the only way it could.
We are told a lot about previous events, but what parts are true? Are either of these characters reliable narrators? Every time we learn something of the past, we must ask: why do the characters bring it up just then? What do they gain from that memory?
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