Bad review

Really, Sarah Ruhl? "Late: A Cowboy Song" was (not quite literally) a shit show. Yeah, it was just previews but I don't see it getting less worse, and it's not good. I mean, it's Sarah Ruhl so there are more than a few funny lines. And there are some coy themes and threads, but by the end, they're shoved down your throat. The play just isn't compelling. If you want to start a conversation about gender identity, there are better ways to do it. My bigger question is how SR gets away with writing characters with few redeeming qualities--characters she couldn't possibly respect in any way. The lines were just soooooo stupid... too stupid for any real person to ever say, ever. Almost a full hour and a half of ridiculously silly lines.

Interestingly, the first SR play that I ever saw--"The Clean House"--is fascinating, and resonates with the Cracked post I just linked to, and starts a broader conversation about class and roles and such.