Review of Selby Play

[MsCriseyde]

David Selby's new play, Final Assault, premiered Thursday night in Charleston, West Virginia. I've added a link to a review from the Charleston Gazette to my David Selby site.

Links to additional reviews will be added if/when they become available.

[Connie]

Mixed, but not a bad review at all.  I'm anxious to read others!
How I WISH I could see the play.

Hmm...

" Toward the end of the scene, some partisan audience members applauded as Sally verbally pummeled Arch. These were embarrassing moments, for this wasn't a legislative hearing."

Well, considering the W. Virginia audience and such a hot, emotional topic I suppose that sort of thing might not be surprising.

"At two hours and 40 minutes, this is a long drama."

Don't know about anyone else, but I'd be perfectly happy to listen for 2 hrs and 40 min, to dialogue written by David Selby.   

Wonder if he was happy with how things went for the first night.

-CLC

PS "The ending turns tense, complex and a little soap-operaish."

A little soap-operaish huh?  Well, this COULD be testimony to what years on Falcon Crest and DS can do to a man!  ROFL
(Aw...he's sweet)

*Thanks for the up-to-the-minute link Cris.*   
   

[MsCriseyde]

PS "The ending turns tense, complex and a little soap-operaish."

A little soap-operaish huh?  Well, this COULD be testimony to what years on Falcon Crest and DS can do to a man!  ROFL

The review was written by the same guy who wrote the 3-part series on the play's production, and he seemed to latch onto the notion of comparing the play to David's work on Dark Shadows and Falcon Crest. David's son also commented that the need to emphasize relationships in order to make a social issue play like this work isn't a lot different from what makes soaps appealing.

Of course, it could also be that said writer knows his stories are being sent to Shadowgram and is supposedly tailoring them accordingly and thinks David's fans aren't capable of understanding anything if it isn't explained in soap opera terms.

[Connie]

David's son also commented that the need to emphasize relationships in order to make a social issue play like this work isn't a lot different from what makes soaps appealing.

Well, he's right.  I mean, if you think about it, a play about coal mining, destruction of the environment, etc. (huh??) -- if you don't have the audience interested and involved in the lives of the characters, what have you got?  It would probably be like listening to a speech by a staff writer from Mother Earth News or something.  Seems you would HAVE to have these other emotional elements to make it work.  I'd imagine pulling all this together was no easy task.  BUT, in my humble (and totally unbiased - lol) opinion, David Selby can do anything.

Of course, it could also be that said writer knows his stories are being sent to Shadowgram and is supposedly tailoring them accordingly and thinks David's fans aren't capable of understanding anything if it isn't explained in soap opera terms.

Hey, I know I'M not! 
Maybe the guy wasn't sure which way to go with the review.  What do you do when the playwright's brother is your boss - praise the play or pan it?    Things could go either way depending on the brothers' relationship.  The guy could get fired, OR he could receive a raise!  LOL  (It's all so confusing).

Ah, the tortuous life of a critic.  (yeah, right)

-CLC

[Annie]

 Hello Cris and Connie THAT MAN CAN DO
ANYTHING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  ( I SURE
WOULD LOVE TO TRY OUT FOR THE PLAY!!!
           Love Anne