Customer Reviews

Getting Away with Murder

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked up a copy of "Getting Away With Murder" because I enjoy theatrical works that Terrence Mann has been in,and I figured this would be yet another that I liked. I'm really glad that I decided to get it.

Besides being a theatre fan,I love a good mystery. I couldn't put it down once I picked it up. Sondheim and Furth do such a wonderful job of establishing the setting and characters that I could vividly imagine what the staging of the play may have looked like. Each character clearly has dimension,and you really feel like you understand their motives and convictions.

"GAWM" is also filled with little plot quirks and devices that enhance the story. While it has a dark mood,there are some light comedic moments and caustic remarks that loosen things up. It is also interesting to see the slight difference in the alternate ending.

All in all,I recommend it. I'm not overly familiar with Sondheim's work,but I've found that his cerebral approach is a nice escape. As a closing note,I suggest paying attention to the names of the characters - you might learn something about them!

This is a very good, well-made play. A social commentary in one sense, and Sondheim's stab at the seven deadly sins. It is very funny to read all of the bitchy quips being tossed back and forth by each of the patients. A dark atmosphere, keeping you on the edge of your seat, and you are always kept guessing. Finding out who the killer is at the end of the first act is a very daring device, and you are left to wonder what would possibly happen in the second act. It is hard for me to say anything more that the other reviewers haven't said, so I just suggest that all intellectuals out there buy this book and prepare to enjoy yourself. (You might even need a cigarette when you're done with this book, if you know what I mean . . . )

Sondheim is "the one" clasic composer in musical theater. Like a dramatist with his pal George he recreate the genre, playing with the clasical "who done it" putting the answer before the act I curtain. The second act is a complicity game with the audience or the reader, are the authors capable to mantain our atention? are still surprises?. Yes they can and yes there are many surprises. I feel that this is is a lovable work. Is well written and superbly structured. adding new touches to this genre. A must read.

i'm a huge fan of sondheim's musicals and i quite like his and furth's collaboration on -company-. w/ that said, this play was quite disappointing. the play has the same type of new york characters as in -company-, but here they're much, much more like stereotypes and caricatures. as for the plot, i was expecting it to be a mystery which is quite untrue as the murderer is revealed before the act 1 curtain. the actual subtitle is "a comedy thriller" and although there are indeed some funny moments as well as some "horror" elements, there's just not enough of either. there are some attempts at social comedy, but those don't really go anywhere either. i'd recommend it only if you're a sondheim completist like i am.

"Getting Away With Murder" is great, I enjoyed reading it very much. Not only for the mystery, but the plot, the thrill, the way it was written. I'm not big on Murder mystery's, although I do enjoy reading some. When I read the script I thought, WoW! This is really a great story. I would have loved to have watched it on Broadway. I adore it, the storyline is great from begining to end. For those who haven't read the book, read it! For those who have read it, read it again!