Robert Cohen - Theatre, Brief Version-McGraw-Hill Education (2016)

312 Chapter 11 The Critic
Some theatre is openly and primarily political. This outdoor event is part of a protest march in downtown Manila, where
a Filipino theatre troupe—one member masked as now-former President Gloria Arroyo—condemn what they believe
was the government’s rigging the country’s 2007 election and other abuses of human rights. Such street theatre
protests can be effective; Arroyo, at this time of writing (2015), is under detention. © Reuters/Corbis
self-interest, love versus exploitation, and the inescapable
problems of growing up and growing old, of wasting
away and dying. These are some of the basic themes of
the finest plays and of our own consciousness as well.
The best plays simply link up with our deepest musings
and help us put our oftentimes random or suppressed
ideas into some sort of order or philosophy. The theatre
is a medium in which we invariably see reflections of
ourselves, and in the theatre’s best achievements those
reflections lead to certain discoveries and evaluations
concerning our own personalities.
ARTISTIC QUALITY
A play may be politically powerful and personally distinctive,
but it still might not represent a well-wrought
piece of theatre. As critics, we judge a play as we do any
piece of art—in comparison to similar works, in the execution
of its different elements. This is the oldest form of
evaluation, practiced by the ancient Greek philosopher
Aristotle, one of the very first—and best—theatre critics
(see the chapter titled “What Is a Play?”)
We can form such opinions quickly. The theatre is
such a distinctive art form that even with the briefest
exposure we can develop a sense of what we like to see.
We quickly come to know—or think we know—honesty
onstage, for without being experts we feel we can recognize
false notes in acting, in playwriting, and even in
design.
Beyond that, we can ask a number of questions of ourselves.
Does the play excite our emotions? Does it stimulate
the intellect? Does it surprise us? Does it thrill us?
Does it seem complete and all of a piece? Are the characters
credible? Are the actors convincing? enchanting?
electrifying? Does the play seem alive or dead? Does it
seem in any way original? Is it logically sound? Is the
action purposeful, or is it gratuitous? Are we transported,
or are our minds wandering?