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[snugs45.livejournal.com]

Thanks to Amy for all her hard work.
Here's another review (had to make a separate post kept getting spam message).

http://www.vulture.com/2016/02/theater-review-prodigal-son.html

There is this interesting bit at near the bottom:

Robert Sean Leonard as Hoffman does as much as possible with a character who doesn’t make much sense to us because Shanley, still seeing his teacher through a teenager’s eyes, cannot make sense of him either. That being the case, and knowing from the play that Hoffman, before he died, specifically asked Shanley not to write about him, I wonder whether this material was ill served, not just theatrically but morally, by its fully autobiographical treatment

I find it frustrating that the writer makes a statement and then leaves it hanging for us to contemplate any possible reasons. I wonder if those who've seen the play have any thoughts on this?

Posting this here as edit can't seem to add to list so will also add any other I find here. Please discofunction add to your original list

Have now deleted reviews that have been added to discofunction original list.
Will post any new ones I find any here.

Comments

[discofunction.livejournal.com]

snugs45 and cuddyclothes, I thought you may be interested in this review (http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/news/story.asp?ID=-L3RKI1).

Somewhat more intriguing is Alan Hoffman, the literature professor, who is Jim's main benefactor, tolerating his sometimes insufferable behavior for the sake of his "extraordinary mind." Without explicitly saying so, we are made to understand that Alan inhabits the closet, and may have played a role in the attempted suicide of another student. It's easy to see that he is smitten with Jim -- but Shanley leaves this potentially explosive situation to so late that, when it finally erupts, it fizzles. The character is so underwritten, and occupies so little of the play's short 90-minute running time, that one might legitimately wonder why an actor of Robert Sean Leonard's stature was drawn to it

They reviewer also seems frustrated by the vagueness of his character. It seems this story would be better placed in a lengthy novel than a 90 minute play! Like the reviewer, I do wonder what RSL's attraction to the part was. Maybe just being back at MTC was enough of a draw!

[snugs45.livejournal.com]

Very interesting. It's difficult to make a more informed comment here because I haven't seen the play and the written text is not available yet so there is no way I can come to any real understanding of what is going on, as apparently is the case for the reviewer here. It sits a little uneasily with me though that the person represented in the play is actually real, not just a fictional character. I would have thought that there would be people, even relatives, still alive who knew him or of him and yet Shanley appears to have opened a can of worms, without fully explaining any further. It lends a distinct feeling of unease and frustration to the play.

I agree that he would want to be back at MTC and it's not such a long run. Richard 11 an exciting prospect for later.