Final answer:
Critics should evaluate a play by considering the director's interpretive choices, the effectiveness of performance, and the production's broader cultural significance.
Step-by-step explanation:
Arriving at a judgment on a play involves a complex form of literary analysis that requires the critic to answer three guiding questions regarding the performance, interpretation, and broader context of the production. Critics must evaluate the effectiveness of the performance, discern the director's choices and the implications of those choices, and connect the play to broader cultural significance and its impact on the audience.
Key Questions for Critics
- Did the director miss any important opportunities to convey what was in the text, or avoid giving attention to what could be perceived as critical passages? Consider practical aspects such as stage constraints and actors' proficiencies.
- Why were certain costumes and set designs chosen, how did the actors deliver their lines, and were significant actions or gestures used that contributed to the play's overall meaning?
- What are the broader implications such as cultural contexts, the influence on the writer to create, and the reflection of the text on its author or the historical moment of its composition?
Answering these questions provides a well-rounded critique highlighting the director's interpretive decisions, the production's connection to societal issues, and its overall success in conveying the intended experience of the play to its audience.