Poquette has a bachelor's degree in English and specializes in writing about literature. In the following essay, Poquette discusses Leight's use of setting and time to underscore the mood in the play.

Side Man is a vivid play that takes its readers and audience members on an emotional rollercoaster as it chronicles the rise and fall of a relationship, which is, in itself, a reflection of the death of an industry. As Stefan Kanfer notes in his review of Side Man for The New Leader, "The uneasy relationship comes to reflect the state of jazz itself, declining from a brief, sunny period to excesses of abuse and, ultimately, to poverty and despair." But the play's juxtaposition of these two breakups—the relationship and the industry—is not accidental. As critics note, the type of situations faced by Gene and Terry are representative of the realities of life...