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chloeburton's reviews
147 reviews
Pass Over by Antoinette Nwandu
Enjoyed the new ending written for the Broadway production more. Not because it’s a happy ending, but it just provokes different ideas.
Dream Work by Mary Oliver
5.0
I had read many of these before, mainly in Devotions. Reading them in context of the rest of the collection was even more enjoyable.
Favorites: Dogfish, Trilliums, Rage, Wild Geese (of course), Dreams, Members of the Tribe, The Journey, The Turtle, Two Kinds of Deliverance, Landscape, 1945-1985: Poem For the Anniversary, The Sunflowers
Favorites: Dogfish, Trilliums, Rage, Wild Geese (of course), Dreams, Members of the Tribe, The Journey, The Turtle, Two Kinds of Deliverance, Landscape, 1945-1985: Poem For the Anniversary, The Sunflowers
The Nina Variations by Steven Dietz
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
A scene/character study with beautiful writing and a lot of ideas. Nails the Chekovian tone in a way that made my heart ache, but isn’t afraid to stray into the absurd. A softer older sister play to Stupid Fucking Bird by Aaron Posner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Violence
Minor: Cannibalism
Killer Joe by Tracy Letts
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Look, if I feel like throwing up when I’m reading a play it’s almost always an automatic 4 stars. The way Letts has crafted this is honestly mind blowing to me. It feels familiar in a way — the characters and setting feel reminiscent of something Sam Shepard would write (to the point that I was holding my breath for an incest plot twist—and though that doesn’t happen, there are moments that make you more than worry) but Letts fills out the characters with little puzzle pieces throughout that add up to something wholly unique. I never knew what was going to happen next, and I spent most of my time reading this with my hand over my mouth. I love that it doesn’t spoon feed the audience and leaves big questions unanswered. Brave theatre. Sick, twisted, disgusting. Bravo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse
It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror by Joe Vallese
5.0
Queer horror is a special interest for me, and this book was even better than I hoped. The essays do not just speak on queerness in relationships (familial, romantic, societal) but use queerness and horror as an intersection to explore topics like race, disability, abuse, and more. Reading about how these films have shaped people’s lives was relatable, cathartic, and eye opening. A couple entries are a miss for me but that’s to be expected.
Favorites: A Demon-Girl’s Guide to Life (S. Trimble), Both Ways (Carmen Maria Machado), The Girl, the Well, the Ring (Zefyr Lisowski), The Wolf Man’s Daughter (Tosha R. Taylor), The Trail of His Flames (Tucker Lieberman), The Healed Body (Jude Ellison S. Doyle)
Favorites: A Demon-Girl’s Guide to Life (S. Trimble), Both Ways (Carmen Maria Machado), The Girl, the Well, the Ring (Zefyr Lisowski), The Wolf Man’s Daughter (Tosha R. Taylor), The Trail of His Flames (Tucker Lieberman), The Healed Body (Jude Ellison S. Doyle)
Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus by Taylor Mac
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Gross, uncomfortable, hilarious, a bit emotionally stirring at points. There’s some really interesting reflection about the events and characters of Titus Andronicus. I love the structure of this play. The only thing keeping it from 5 stars for me is just the need to *see* it, there’s a lot of crazy things in the staging that I can’t fully imagine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Blood, Excrement, and Vomit
Moderate: Rape, Cannibalism, and War
Minor: Child death and Grief