Machinal

Rating:
Summary: Machinal is truly moving
Review: Being a student who has performed, and read, this play I strongly suggest it to others. This play is more than a simple examination of the feminist mindset in modern day society, but further a question of not only capital punishment, but also the logic and reasoning behind the motive to take a person's life. The expressionistic stlye of this piece makes it a unique work of literature and also provides a forum for open discussion on the issues of womens rights and multiple other issues. In deed this masterfully written piece is worth the time of any person who enjoys a work that is not only unique but compelling in its telling of the tale of a machine like society. I hope everyone reads this play and thinks about not only their role in society, but within their relationships as well.

Rating:
Summary: Great show of American expressionism!
Review: Having taught this play a number of times at the college level, I find it one of the most accessable examples of expressionism available in print. It's great to read while watching a film like Metropolis (Fritz Lang's expressionist masterpiece). In reference to an earlier review, the play may seem simple and mundane, but when read in its historical context (and when seen in a brave production) it's what theatre is all about... engaging, moving, and socially/politically active. The fact that it's by a woman and about a woman, in a period dominated by the male perspective, simply makes it more fascinating.

Rating:
Summary: Great show of American expressionism!
Review: Having taught this play a number of times at the college level, I find it one of the most accessable examples of expressionism available in print. It's great to read while watching a film like Metropolis (Fritz Lang's expressionist masterpiece). In reference to an earlier review, the play may seem simple and mundane, but when read in its historical context (and when seen in a brave production) it's what theatre is all about... engaging, moving, and socially/politically active. The fact that it's by a woman and about a woman, in a period dominated by the male perspective, simply makes it more fascinating.

Rating:
Summary: Spelling
Review: I just though you might want to know that the correct capitalization is "Machinal," not "MacHinal." It's the French word for "mechanical."-the perfect descriptor for this Expressionistic play.

Rating:
Summary: The Single Best Play Ever Written
Review: If only the Adding Machine did not overshadow this masterpiece, similar to Goodfellas overshadowing the much more deserving Miller's Crossing. No theatre library is complete without this evocative, fascinating play.

Rating:
Summary: Heartrending and crushing
Review: Less a 'feminist' play than a play about the human condition as a whole, Treadwell's 'Machinal' recalls the work of Ionesco, Strindberg and Pinter: the human being as pawn in a senseless and hellish society. The ending, in which Helen rebels against the abstract prayers of the jail's priest, recalls the conclusion of "The Stranger", although I would consider this a far superior work. By the conclusion we cannot help but feel for Helen, a shy but passionate woman rejected and imprisoned, essentially, by her dull husband, her needy mother, and her contemporaries. I can't say this is the most uplifting play I have ever read, but it is one of the most intense.

Rating:
Summary: excellent and harrowing
Review: Machinal shows the loud noisy mechanical world that one young woman -- who for most of the play is not even addressed by name --- as she works at a job where her boss likes her but she doesn't like her and goes home to her demanding moody mother. She marries the boss. She never gets a break from the non-stop pace of the city and her life and other people's demands.

Then she meet and falls in love with a man in a bar who starts to open her eyes to all the possibilities in the world when you stop putting other people's needs before yours. This leads the young woman to think she should murder her husband.

Thus ensues a harrowing trial and a shocking punishment. If you ever get to see this on stage, particularly if you are female, it will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing dramatical piece
Review: This play is considered by many to be one of the finest dramatical works by a female author ever. It has been listed as one of the top one-hundred plays of all time by several organizations. In performance it is one of the most intense, frightening experiences an audience member can have, and one of my personal favorites. Truly a great play.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing and different play
Review: What an interesting play! Somewhat of a feminist play is only because the woman wants to be set free from her husband. She finally gets free but you'll have to read it to see how!