Report Card---"The Humans"

The final play I saw in New York was "The Humans".
It won the Tony Award for Best Play of the Year.
I don't get it.
The clip I saw on the Tony's looked pretty funny.
So I  assumed it was a comedy.
But that clip was the only funny scene in the play.
So okay, maybe it will be dramatic.
It made a very minor pass at drama.
It was what they started to call in the eighties, a dramedy.
It was neither fish nor fowl.
I have two plays that I think are Broadway worthy, and even Best Play worthy.
I have had little success getting either of them there.
In all fairness, I haven't tried very hard to get them there.
But a play like this that really raises the hackles.

On to the scoring:

Is it interesting?

Just barely.
C-.

Compelling even?

Never.
F.

Is it controversial?

It's too tame to be controversial.
F.

Is it a story worth telling?

I honestly don't think so.
D.

Is it good storytelling?

It has no arc.
D.

Is it well written?

The dialogue is better than the storytelling, but that's not saying much.
C-.

Is it well cast?  Well played?

There was good acting going on, and it's harder to be good when the play is not.
B.

Well staged?

Nothing impressed me.
C.

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

No,
F.

How long does it take to establish the show's locale and time period?

Immediately.
A.

Is it too long? Too short?

It's very short, and as they approached the end there were story revelations that could have been elaborated interestingly, but they seemed more intent on getting done.
F.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?

Yes, and no.
D.

Is it predictable? Does it surprise you?

Only in that I expected more .
D.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

I left with the same chip on my shoulder that I came in with.
F.

Is it funny?

Only that one scene.
C+.

Was it  worth the two hundred bucks it cost to see it?

Not any bucks.
F.

Is it impressive?

Not at all.
C-.

Overall grade: C-.

There have been many plays that I have seen that deserved the Best Play Tony's that they received.
Usually they are by David Mamet.
So this isn't just sour grapes.

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My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, If and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@comcast.net

And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

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