http://www.playbill.com/news/article/128717.html

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/128717.html

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/128717.html

Of course, the previous sentence was BS, but the point is, people are entitled to their opinions and Molly has established herself (through her own blog, and now here) as someone with the experience and knowledge to offer worthwhile assessments of new productions. Furthermore, generally speaking, informed criticism is vital to theater (and all the performing arts), not only as a consumer guide but as a method of placing new works in historical and qualitative context.

So, please, disagree all you like, as vocally as you like, but don't negate the importance or the validity of criticism — or even, specifically, of Molly's judgment — by falling back on the old “Write your own damned musical” line.

And just for the record, I wrote this review in the manner I did because I knew this show would get a positive response from critics and fans and I wanted to voice my issues with the production to offer another side to those who want to know about the show. So everyone please back the eff off.

Does art, theater in this case, necessarily have to leave one resolved and restored? Can a work not be successful if it portrays and depicts a specific set of circumstances, i.e., tells a story? Has a work not succeeded at some level if it makes you feel SOMETHING…..? Must a work resolve an issue for society in a way that pleases everyone? Hell, even if you leave angry and offended, have your opinions and beliefs probably not been challenged? Seriously, a couple of the rants I've read about this show remind me of the middle-aged man I overheard leaving Avenue Q a few years ago who fumed, “So they're saying we should just live for the moment?! That makes me so angry!”

As for the issues addressed in the show….look, I've experienced very similar circumstances in my life, that had a more tragic ending than this. I identified with the emotions that every character depicted in some respect, and thought they hit very true emotional notes more often than not. Professionally, I've observed similar experiences at close enough range to know that sometimes psycho-pharmaceuticals work, sometimes not. Sometimes talk therapy and CBT works, sometimes not. Sometimes ECT works, sometimes not. Sometimes things get worse. Sometimes things get much, much worse.

In this STORY, which the writers have chosen to tell, none of those therapies worked, which leaves a person with a couple of options–live as best you can without treatment, or stop living. Neither of those alternatives is particularly cheery, but N2N, for better or worse, 'resolved' itself with the lighter of the two. If you don't agree with that 'message', or if you simply don't like it, write your own damned musical. But don't just stand on the sidelines and carp that you don't like someone else's story. So it didn't work for you? It worked well enough for me.