First Look review: HOLES

Lauren at the Todd Wehr Theater

By Lauren Strifling 

I reviewed the play Holes at First Stage. I thought it was really good, and you should go see it!  It is about a boy named Stanley Yelnats who was sent to Camp Green Lake in the Texas desert, and had many adventures there.

It all started when shoes fell out of the sky, and Stanley picked them up. A policeman stopped him and said they belonged to a famous baseball player who had donated them to a homeless shelter.  The shoes were worth 5,000 dollars. Stanley protested to the policeman and the judge that he was innocent, but they didn’t believe him. The judge told Stanley that he had a choice: go to jail, or go to Camp Green Lake. Stanley chose Camp Green Lake. He got there and saw nothing but holes. The campers had to dig holes five feet wide and five feet deep. The mystery is why do they dig those holes, and will Stanley prove himself innocent of taking the shoes? To solve the mystery, Stanley has to help a friend and break an old family curse.

The actors played their parts very well. I saw the Lizard Cast and I thought I was in the hot, dry desert with them!  There were seven holes on the stage, and it seemed very realistic. One of my favorite parts was when X-Ray, a boy at Camp Green Lake, explained how hard it is at Camp Green Lake by saying, “The second hole is the hardest, dude.” It made me think twice, because if the second hole is the hardest, what about the third? And the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh…? I really liked how the play brought together Stanley’s past and future, and showed how we all have to work together, no matter where we come from and what we do.  If we never give up and help each other, things will always work out.  I think this play was really good, and I give Holes five stars!

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Thank you Lauren for your review of HOLES! Lauren is 9 years old and in third grade. She likes to read, write, draw and play sports. Lauren applied to review HOLES because she really enjoyed the book and wanted to be able to share her opinion of the play with other kids.

HOLES runs through February 14 at the Todd Wehr Theater. CLICK HERE for more information.