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THEATRE REVIEWS
There's No Business like Show
Business
Assignment: Up to 2 bonus will be
added to your final mark for this
assignment.
Attend a performance of
______________________________. Tic
kets are available from
_______________________________.
Write an insightful theatre review of the
performance.
This review, which should be between 1
½ to 2 pages long, is due no later than
November 28. Please note that they will
NOT be accepted after that date.
Staple your ticket stub to the review.
Many people write theatre (or even
movie) reviews that just leave much to
be desired. As someone that
participates heavily in theatre, I am
really scrutinous when it comes to the
reviews that are written. If I'm going to
spend money on tickets to a show, I
want to know what to expect from the
production as a whole, not what the
summary is. Movies are different in this
respect, as not a lot of plotlines are
known for movies.
Before you write a theatre performance
review, you should familiarize yourself
with the work you will be reviewing.
Read or reread the play if necessary,
and research the playwright and the
play's historical context. This will give
you a basis for the review. Once you are
well-informed, attend the performance.
Pay close attention and make a few
mental notes to help you write the
review. It also may be necessary to
attend the performance more than once
to write a good review.
Be generous with compliments to standout performers.
Whether the production venue is a high
school drama department, a community
playhouse or the Broadway stage, a
good theater review highlights a show's
strengths and weaknesses, extols the
talents of its cast members and entices
fellow theater lovers to buy tickets.
Familiarity with plays, playwriting and
production values is desirable for
aspiring theater critics, coupled with
excellent communication skills and
attention to details, subtext and nuance.
Instructions
1. Begin with a catchy statement to
attract the reader's attention. This can
be a quote from the play or a list of
items from the play, for example.
Identify the title of the play, the genre,
the name of the production company
and where the show is playing in the
opening paragraph. Example: The
summer season of the Easy Street
Players has just kicked off with a sixweek run of "Muriel's Memoirs" at the
newly renovated Crane Performing Arts
Center. This contemporary drama
directed by Maria Laris stars four
accomplished actors whose faces will
be familiar to patrons who follow
Arcadia's theater scene.
2. Provide a brief synopsis of the play
and a little bit of history about the
playwright and the period in which the
play was written, which also describes
the setting, introduces the main
characters and tells the audience what
the core conflict is.
Don’t summarize the plot. The purpose
of this paragraph is to hook the readers'
curiosity about what happens next but
should never spoil their own enjoyment
of the show by divulging all of the twists
and surprises that await. I don't want to
hear what happens in the script. I want
to know how the actors act within the
script!
Include a reference to the playwright
and other plays he or she has written. If
there is anything interesting or unique
about the inspiration behind the script,
its performance history or why the
director chose to produce it, mention
that as well. Example: Ten percent of
box office proceeds will be donated to
the Tri-Cities Alzheimer's Foundation.
3. Review the performances. Did the
actors approach the roles traditionally
or in a new way? Were they believable?
Talk about how the actors play the
characters, not the characters That is so
important! Give everyone credit. Justify
your reasoning for not liking (or really
liking) an actor's performance. Be sure
to provide the actors' names and other
information, such as some of their past
performances. This is so important, and
so many people leave it out.
4. Consider the set design, the
costumes and how technical elements
such as lighting, sound effects and
music enhanced the production or
detracted from it. Offer constructive
remarks on what might have been done
to make the show better. Example: “The
amplification of recorded music
sometimes made it hard to hear what
the actors were saying. “
Be sure to name all of the designers. A
lot of work went into designing the sets
and lighting and everything else you see
on stage besides the actors. Comment
on it! I want to know what to expect in
the production design and such.
Sometimes, the set and props make the
whole show! This is an area that needs
a little more attention. Even if it's just
one sentence, please say something
about it.
5. Discuss the performance's direction.
Give the director's name and discuss
the director's approach. For example,
did the director try a new approach, or
was the staging more traditional?
6. Provide readers with information on
the performance dates and times, where
to purchase tickets and whether there
are any elements of the show such as
violence, sex or strong language that
make it inappropriate for young children.
Tell your readers whether you would
recommend the play, and give reasons.
Suggest ways in which the performance
could be improved, and if the
performance is great, tell why.
Was the show worth any money at all?
Perhaps your readers should just skip
the production all together. Was the
time you spent going to it worth it?
Perhaps taking in a shorter play may be
better.
Tips & Warnings
 Whenever possible or practical, read
a copy of the script prior to attending
the play.
 Carry a notebook to jot down your
thoughts during intermission and
right after the show.
 Refer to the printed program for
correct spellings of cast members'
names.
 Be kind in your criticism, especially
toward amateur performers such as
students or community theater actors.
Consider as well the constraints
imposed by budgets and resources.
Harshly comparing stage sets built
by local volunteers to stage sets
constructed by union crews for a
Broadway musical is neither fair nor
realistic.
 Be Honest.
Just because your friend loved the
show doesn't mean that you have to.
If you didn't like it, say so. Justify
your reasons. If you loved it, say so.
Justify your reasons. It's that easy.
Don't mislead people. If it's
something that you enjoyed, but has
an acquired taste (ie- Performance
Art), please let people know.
 Include the times of performances,
where the performances are being
held and how long performances will
run. Include other logistical
information such as ticket prices and
contact information for the theatre.
Exploring Theatre, "The Audience: It’s
Role and Imagination."
Everyone Has An Audience By:
Courtney McDonald
I listened to a variety of film reviews by
Ebert and Roeper, to observe what
comments they had when critiquing
films. Some such films were, I Heart
Huckabees, and Being Julia. I also read
a few theatre critiques on the net since
it had been some time since I had read
one. The reviews I read were on A
Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Chicago.
After reading and listening to these
reviews I noticed many similarities and
many differences between these two
types of productions. The first thing that
drew my attention when examining the
similarities between play reviews and
those of film, was that each author first
gave a very brief plot synopsis. This is
to create understanding with the reader,
so they understand what the play/movie
is about. The reviewers then began to
name the actors forming the cast, and
also who directed the production. In
some they would also mention what
other notable performances the actors
had been involved in, and what other
pieces the director may have done. In
most cases, such as in the critiques,
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Chicago and
I Heart Huckabees, the reviewers state
the genre of the production, also for
clarification purposes for their audience.
Once the productions had been
introduced, the quality of the shows was
discussed. They would focus on a few
critical details that they would find
either beneficial and admirable to the
success of the production, or those
details that would make it detrimental
and contemptible. They support their
opinions by finding precise details
throughout the production. For example,
When Ebert was describing the
unrealistic weakness of the film Being
Julia, he went into depth on one scene
where the stage improvisation could not
have happened naturally, and when the
main actress had to do costume
changes, there would physically not be
enough time to do the elaborate
changes she had to do. Since he
noticed these faults, he labeled the
movie “…unrealistic, empty, and an
unconvincing Hollywood melodrama.”.
Acting abilities are also thoroughly
discussed in reviews. A production is
mostly dependent on the actors and
their capability of bringing the story to a
point of keen interest. Character
relationships, plot and action are all
vital to a successful production.
Reviewers take a fine interest in these
elements for that matter. They consider
characters acting off each other within
the plot, which has to be kept moving by
frequent spots of action. All of these
elements are intertwined, and reviewers
in both film and theatre tend to pay
close attention to these when passing a
judgment about the entire production.
Another similarity is the discussion of
the director’s take on the production. In
other words, the director’s originality.
Their ability to take the script and to
create a phenomenal piece of art is
examined very closely. Setting and
scenery are habitually critiqued,
because they are fundamental in the
piece to establish authenticity. Also for
realism’s sake, pace, costumes,
characters and dialogue are viewed
closely, to critique on these details.
These four factors are all to create
believability for the production so it will
flow smoothly. Reviewers tend to
comment on the fluidity and
believability of the production. After
analyzing the production, the reviewer
writes one final statement or rating of
the piece. It is to leave a lasting
impression on their audience to
persuade them to go see, or not to go
see the production. These are all
aspects that are critiqued in both
theatre and film, for they all exist
prominently in the latter and the former.
Even though there are many similarities
between reviews in theatre and reviews
in film, there are many dissimilarities as
well. At one point in Ebert’s discussion
over the film I Heart Huckabees with
Roeper, he mentioned that the first time
he watched it, he did not understand
what was happening, until he watched it
again. When reviewing theatre, it would
be quite difficult to watch a performance
more than once before having to
critique it. Since Ebert and Roeper have
their films on instant reply, they can
watch and re-watch the film as much as
they need to before basing a decision
on its quality. Basically, theatre
critiques are based a bit more on first
impressions. In theatre, a second
performance can differ slightly from the
first time it was played, and once again
a third time, but in a film, all the artistic
elements and acting performances are
going to be the exact same for that
particular film. I also believe that when
critiquing a play, more attention is paid
to lighting and music than it would be in
a film. Take Chicago for example. The
reviewer had paid much attention to the
orchestra and what they were doing. In
this particular production, the ‘music’,
meaning, the band that the music was
originating from, was physically visible,
where, in a movie, it would not be. In a
live performance, the music may not
necessarily be consistent all of the time.
A clarinet might squeak or the drums
might be off tempo, but in contrast, film
music would have been prerecorded to
perfection before being added onto the
film. Musicals aside, music in a film is
more of a background sound, only mean
to play a subtle role to enhance the plot.
Theatrical music can be vital, especially
since the performance is live and the
music adds a special effect for the show.
The show can literally hinge on the
music. In theatre critiques, the
reviewers are just more conscious of
this. Along these same lines, stage
presence and stage directions are also
not surveyed in a film like they are in a
play. In film, camera angles can change
for different shots, when in reality, it
might be physically impossible for an
actor to move in a certain way in a
certain amount of time. Film can
definitely distort all sense of time in that
way. Also, actors must be heard on
stage, and if they are not a reviewer will
critique their volume. In a film, they
have microphones and talk in a more
natural tone. Like theatre, film also has
some aspects that are critiqued that
aren’t in a play. Such as continuity. It
would be difficult to fall out of continuity
in a play, especially since the plot
moves in quick succession. When
filming, the same scenes might be shot
on different days, so everything must
remain continual. If a cigarette isn’t
burning in one shot, when it was in the
previous, a reviewer would notice that
and would point that out in their critique.
I listened to Ebert and Roeper’s review
on the movie Ray, based on legendary
musician Ray Charles. They gave this
movie two thumbs up and based their
rating on Jamie Fox’s “astonishingly
rich” performance as Ray Charles. They
went on to comment on his
“outstanding acting”, and how he is “a
gifted mimic”. They call him a gifted
mimic because he was able to capture
Ray’s ticks and speech patterns
“terrifically”. They believed that he
could be looking at an Oscar for Best
Actor in the coming year for this
performance. They also said that “…real
life characters are portrayed…” and that
it was not predictable because of this.
Examples: STU Reviews : Where
Fredericton follows theatre.
References
Hamlett, Christina. How to write a good
theatre
review. ,<http://www.ehow.com/how_21
88321_write-good-theatre-review.html>
Sweeney, Erica. How to write a theatre
performance
review. <http://www.ehow.com/how_48
81268_write-theatre-performancereview.html>
"Play by Play- Theater Essays and
Reviews, 1993-2002"; Jonathan Kalb;
2004
"Arts Reviews- And How to Write Them";
Celia Brayfield; 2008
"No Turn Unstoned- The Worst Ever
Theatrical Reviews"; Diana Rigg; 1991
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