The Art of Burning Reviews
The Boston Globe- Somewhat Recommended
"...But the 85-minute "The Art of Burning" nonetheless registers as fragmentary and underdeveloped. Its disparate parts don't quite jell, and the ending feels rushed. A fuller examination of marriage and its discontents would require more than the thin and one-dimensional portrait of Jason we see here."
WBUR- Somewhat Recommended
"...For nearly an hour and a half, "The Art of Burning" moves slowly without much happening. The lack of character development left me disinvested in what transpired, and Patricia's act of burning Jason's antique desk is mentioned a few times in the play. Still, that simmering anger bubbling inside someone long enough to make them explode in such an act is absent. The show is more of smoldered fire than the raging, flickering flame of a tale one might hope for."
The Arts Fuse- Somewhat Recommended
"...Unfortunately, Snodgrass has crafted her script about domestic blitzkrieg with far too heavy a hand. She is not content to stand back and let her characters duke it out, a la Strindberg, but has challenged herself (and us) to grapple with knotty themes that include infidelity, anguished artistic temperament, troubled parenting, and even a brief discussion of hormonal urges. Oh, and let’s not ignore that she spices up her overheated Mulligan stew with lots of references to Greek tragedy and mythology. In homage, Eugene O’Neill is given some cred by the fireside (a number of his dramas borrowed liberally from Greek tragedy, including Mourning Becomes Electra, based on The Oresteia, and Desire Under the Elms, which tips its hat to Euripides’ Medea and Hippolytus)."
The New England Theatre Geek- Recommended
"...Snodgrass and Bensussen show the audience everything we need to know. Both expect their audience to be emotionally and intellectually intelligent. Snodgrass wrote almost no exposition; Bensussen dives into Snodgrass’s play fists first. Audience members will either understand the art, theatre, and myth references or they won’t. Audience members will either comprehend the moral landscape that The Art of Burning explores, or they won’t. On the one hand, that’s a bold choice that pays off well."
The Sleepless Critic- Highly Recommended
"...Cutting sarcasm, sardonic wit, and a feigned smile does little to contain Patricia’s smoldering rage lurking just beneath the surface. No question Patricia has every reason to harbor resentment considering what she is going through affects her entire family. As a painter, it is important for Patricia to express her mounting feelings through art, but what if the pain is so deep that not even a canvas can exorcise that anger?"
Stage and Cinema- Recommended
"...The pace of the show kept my attention, but in the end, I felt the script failed to deliver on Patricia's ominous assertions. A sacrifice is called for. And while I was relieved that no children were murdered in the course of this play, the failure to demand more of these characters left me unsatisfied."