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Reasons To Be Pretty (2008)

by Neil LaBute(Favorite Author)

3.58 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0865479984 (ISBN13: 9780865479982)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Faber & Faber

series

Reasons to Be...

review 1: The play begins with what is probably the most intense, expletive-driven, flesh-searing argument in the fiery LaBute canon, delivered by a very, very angry young woman to her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend.The boyfriend's mistake? Telling a co-worker that his girlfriend was not pretty but regular... Labute accurately captures the superficiality that lurks just beneath the surface of our civilized veneer.
review 2: Although it is nice to see one of Labute's characters actually grow, I think I prefer the other plays I've read of his (although a more recent reading of them would provide a better means of comparing) That said, Reasons is still solidly high quality, as I've come to expect from Labute. Real talent for dialogue (once you get used to reading with the slas... morehes to overlap lines) and he's not easy on his characters, doesn't insist on giving you a traditional happy ending, but usually finds one that's satisfying nonetheless. I read the 2008 first edition & would be interested in checking out the rewrites that resulted from working it in production. I know the monologues for each character were cut (which seems justifiable--the characters came across well enough in interaction) but would like to see what else, if anything, was altered, undoubtedly for the better (or why do it?) less

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