The Light at MCC

[AntV]

Posted: 1/27/19 at 10:12pm

A lot of good reviews over on show score, but in typical show-score fashion, not much description of what the play is actually like and about, just generic positive comments and mentions of themes explored. Any insights from people here?

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/27/19 at 11:15pm

A by-the-numbers topic drama. If you're the kind of person who follows social justice discourse, in life or on social media, there will be nothing of value for you in this play. It has no real artistic merit outside of the message it's presenting. No doubt people will say it's "powerful" and "Important," because anything that deals with topical subject matter is automatically considered great. Meanwhile the characters are paper-thin, reduced to mouth-pieces for the author's ideas. And every plot twist is visible from miles away. 

I'm fine with playwrights exploring weighty, topical subject matter, but some playwrights don't seem to realize that it's possible to do that, while simultaneously being creative with style and form, and giving characters depth and dimensionality outside of their connections to social justice issues. And in fact, if you do achieve those things, the social justice message can actually be communicated on a deeper, more lasting level.

[AntV]

Posted: 3/3/19 at 4:47am

Thanks for the only posts in both my topics haha. Any other thoughts on this? Still trying to decide if this is worth seeing before it closes.

[Susanswerphone]

Posted: 3/4/19 at 2:30am

I have to agree with JBroadway. I went, interested by the little I had read about it. I left disappointed. The characters are poorly written and there's very little story here that's resonant.