The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $6.85 You Save: $7.15 (51%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $4.34 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Laramie Project
Book Review: A Beautiful Tragedy
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this book here on Amazon just as something interesting to read between classes. Little did I know that I would open it the day I got it and finish it before the next night. This is a great play, and the fact that it is based off of true events and dialogues make it that much more intriguing. I must say however, this tale of a life cut short left me somewhat heartbroken-because it is painfully real. I could completely relate to this play and I already have multiple friends and acquaintances asking to borrow it. I recommend this to anyone and everyone (above the age of 15) and I hope this story continues to speak to the nation and inspire change and consideration to everyone who touches it's cover.Book Review: A Remarkable Theatrical Piece; A Powerful Statement
Summary: 5 Stars
Matthew Shepard was about two months short of his twenty-second birth when he was robbed, beaten, tied to a fence post and left to die in a rural area of Wyoming. The man who found him at first thought he was a scarecrow. Rushed to Poudre Valley Hospital at Fort Collins, he died on 12 October 1998--and when Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney were arrested for the crime they resorted to a defense known as "gay panic." Matthew Shepherd had propositioned them, they said, and they were so horrified that they killed him in response.
The gay community and numerous civil rights watchdog groups were outraged by the defense, and as more and more facts came to light it seemed that the crime was somewhat more complicated than Henderson and McKinney wanted the public to know. Witnesses stated that Henderson and McKinney had specifically targeted Shepherd because he was gay. After much legal wrangling, Henderson pled guilty and testified against McKinney, who was convicted; after still more legal wrangling, and at the request of Shepherd's parents, McKinney escaped the death penalty but has no chance of parole.
The case made headlines from end of the United States to the other and prompted numerous calls for Hate Crimes legislation, which had long been stalled both at the state and federal level. And in the midst of the confusion, chaos, and controversy, Moises Kaufman and the members of The Tectonic Theatre Project arrived on the scene, interviewing more than two hundred people about their thoughts and feelings on the case. These were shaped into THE LARAMIE PROJECT, a drama that debuted in 2000 and which has since shocked, impressed, and deeply moved audiences from coast to coast.
Playscripts are not really intended to be read; they are intended to be performed, and there can be a significant difference between how a script and how it plays. This is particularly true of THE LARAMIE PROJECT, which doesn't consist of scenes or acts but of "moments"--bits and pieces of monologue and dialogue and staging that non-play-readers will likely find difficult to envision. When performed, all those bits and pieces become like tiles in a mosaic: they may seem to mean different things individually, but when performed one right after another they become a unified whole.
Perhaps the single most impressive thing about THE LARAMIE PROJECT is its refusal to "take sides." The play presents its characters and their words with commenting in favor of them or against them; you are instead allowed to interpret for yourself. The result is uniquely powerful. Strongly recommended.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Book Review: A masterwork
Summary: 5 Stars
This play defies words. You probably already know this, but this play is structured as a "docudrama," somewhere between a documentary and a plot/character driven play. Laramie weaves together threads of national strife, the eternal fight against hatred and a plethora of deep, powerful characters. One of my favorite moments in this play comes when a middle aged gay man sits in his apartment and describes the rapidly growing group of people marching in a parade honoring Matthew in his last days, how eventually more people are marching for Matthew than for the parade itself. This play is a triumph of the human spirit that has arisen from a truly dark moment in recent American history. The recent HBO movie is a well-done rendition, although, having seen three different productions and been involved in one, I must say that the play is a bit more moving. Read it, and for the sake of the late Matthew Shepard, if you get the chance, SEE IT.Book Review: A play better seen than read
Summary: 4 Stars
Moises Kaufman, who created the magnificent stage drama _Gross Indecency_, based on the trial of Oscar Wilde, here takes another true-life incident, the murder of Matthew Shephard, the young gay man who was beaten and left to die in Laramie, Wyoming, and applies the same documentary techniques, culling the monologues and characters from interviews with actual residents of the town and people variously involved with the tragedy and its aftermath.I saw the play in its Off-Broadway incarnation and was overwhelmed by the drama, brought out by a magnificent cast (members of which helped write the text), many playing multiple characters. The skill and passion of the actors, I think, was responsible for much of the power of the evening, combined with a simple but effective production. Inevitably, reading the text alone will not bring out the full impact of this work. Still, it is a powerful testament and one that should be disseminated in whatever form. If it's produced anywhere in your neighborhood, I would say, run, don't walk to see it.
Book Review: A powerful play about a pivotal American tragedy
Summary: 5 Stars
The 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was a watershed event. This tragedy stimulated debates on anti-gay prejudice and violence. "The Laramie Project," by Moises Kaufman and the members of the Tectonic Theater Project, attempts to find meaning in the murder and its aftermath.Kaufman and the other members of the theater group travelled to Laramie, Wyoming, which was the focal point of the Matthew Shepard tragedy, in order to interview the people of the town. As the play's opening states, the dialogue of the play is drawn from these interviews as well as from other sources. Thus the play's language has a raw authenticity. Many different voices are heard: a policewoman, Matthew's father, a Catholic priest, a lesbian college professor, Matthew's killers, a Unitarian minister, a viciously anti-gay protestor, etc.
An interesting aspect of the play is the presence of Tony Kushner's play "Angels in America" as a sort of "background" text. "Angels" is mentioned more than once in this play, and indeed, there are significant parallels between the two texts. I recommend that people read both of these remarkable works.
Many issues are addressed in "Project." One character notes that "we need to own this crime." This play is a not only a morally challenging attempt to deal with a high profile tragedy, but also a compelling work of art.