"All the modern verse plays, they're terrible; they're mostly about the poetry. It's more important that the play is first"

This quote by Denis Johnson is a criticism of modern verse plays. He thinks that these plays focus excessive on the poetry and not enough on the play itself. He believes that the play ought to come first, and the poetry ought to be secondary. He is suggesting that contemporary verse plays are too focused on the poetic aspects, and insufficient on the story and characters. He believes that the play needs to be the main focus, and the poetry ought to be used to boost the story and characters. He is suggesting that modern verse plays ought to be more concentrated on the story and characters, and the poetry must be used to enhance the story and characters, instead of being the main focus. He believes that the play should be the main focus, and the poetry should be used to improve the story and characters. This quote by Denis Johnson is a criticism of contemporary verse plays, and a suggestion that the play should come first.