Reviews for Tiny Tim Is Dead

The average rating for Tiny Tim Is Dead based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-12-26 00:00:00 Michael Ace The play Brooklyn Boy is composed of a series of short scenes that provides a glimpse at a "middle-aged" (whatever that is) novelist from Brooklyn, and the mild, brewing conflict between the writer and his father--dying at Maimonides Hospital; between the writer and an old friend--still a practicing Jew living in Brooklyn who manages a deli; an evening with a young woman 'groupie' whom the novelist meets at a bookstore book reading; and then a culminating scene back in Brooklyn, with a fantasy-scene reprise of what has gone on prior to the ending: an examination of a fiction writer who must explain his book is not an autobiography to his father; not a "celebrity", which his Brooklyn friend appears to perceive him as; not a 'cool' writer as the young undergraduate screenwriting student sees him as; and not a "Brooklyn boy," an appelation the writer seems to have eschewed since his 'escape from Brooklyn." However, in the climactic scene he realizes that he is indeed a Brooklyn boy, and his desire to escape his place of origin is central to being from Brooklyn. The play feels dated. It is really a slight update of a Neil Simon play; the issues it addresses have all been addressed before, and unfortunately, unlike the fact that the novelist character has a best selling novel (presumably dealing with contemporary issues), the play is neither contemporary nor of much interest. It seems that while the novelist depicted in the play has rolled with the literary punches, the writer of the play has not. In this regard, it seems to be a self-described elegy to the writer himself. THAT is what gives the play any power it may have. And that is sad. It feels as though the writer is co-opting the role of the critic, and foreseeing his own fate in a world where are is only judged by its relevance, and not by craft or talent. And THAT is sad as well.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-05-04 00:00:00 Jenny Juisiak I've decided I'll read any play by Donald Margulies. I was very familiar with his "Dinner With Friends", a play with marvelous, realistic dialogue in which he displays a real knack for creating realistic relationships. "Brooklyn Boy" did not disappoint in this regard. I especially enjoyed the way his "fictional" work was based on his real life and how this impacted his friends and family. I almost wish he had played with this even more. Also, the question about how "Jewish" a script can be in order to be accepted by audiences (his book is optioned as a film) was particularly interesting given the recent rise in anti-Semetism in contemporary life. That even makes me wonder if Margulies may tackle that very subject in a new play. We could certainly use such a play, especially if written with the subtlety that Margulies is capable of.