Marin Ireland and Peter Kim in "Maple and Vine." Photo Credit: Sara Krulwich.

Jordan Harrison’s play Maple and Vine at Playwrights Horizons, directed by Anne Kauffman was a very intriguing story. Marin Ireland plays Katha a woman who has nightmares and hasn’t been the same since she had a miscarriage. That day changed her life, since then she felt empty with no path worth taking, she wasn’t sure who she was. She is married to Ryu played by actor Peter Kim who stood by her side all the time. One day, Katha meets Dean played by actor Trent Dawson who shows her a different life, the path worth taking towards happiness, or so Dean promises.

Living in the 21^st century can be harsh to people that have been through a lot, but imagine having the opportunity of going back to 1950s? The community offered a door that she found while seeking happiness. This play doesn’t only focus on Katha and Ryu’s life but also the life that people lived in that period of time where everybody thinks it was blue for boys and pink for girls. In the 1950s, society was harsh towards homosexuals, it was not accepted and people lived in great fear.

I feel empathy for Katha because she lived in a world where people couldn’t understand her. Some people heal fast and some don’t. I feel sympathy towards Dean even though he acted so perfect but turned out to not to be. The whole idea of “the mixed race couple” gave a feeling of how the show was going to end. Towards the end, I changed my opinion because I thought about and it took Katha a while to stop having those nightmares about the 21^st century but for the first time she felt alive like belonged there and she wasn’t going to let that go. It is ironic how Katha and Ryu became just like Dean and Ellen. I would think twice before taking a kid to see this play it has some sex scenes that might not be appropriate for a child to see.

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Roxanna Hope, Michael Laurence and Matthew Schechter and Dael Orlandersmith in "Horsedreams." Photo Credit: Sarah Krulwich.

Horsedreams by Dael Orlandersmith at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, wasn’t what I expected, but it was a great performance none-the-less. Dragged into the live scene of a packed club, we are introduced to young Desiree (Roxanna Hope). She lives for the night life and self-expression.  Desiree is a woman that can’t be chained, but is meant to be loose. On the dance floor she meets Loman (Michael Laurence), a corporate man that she doesn’t feels attracted to. Loman is grooving on the dance floor and spots Desiree, amazed by her beauty and body.  Their relationship soon leads to marriage and a life in Westchester.

The married couple has a child called Lucka, who is played by Matthew Schechter.  At a young age he loses Desiree to an overdose from her active drug use.  Desiree’s life as a wife wasn’t what she wanted, and from a certain perspective she never was fit to be a mother. Lucka, a wonderful child, cherished his mother, and has a love for riding horses. Loman continues to miss his lost Desiree, and while he drinks an unnatural amount of scotch, he hasn’t taken drugs for seven years.  He craves some and purchases it on Lexington- 125. This moment signifies the downfall of the performance.

Around this time in the play a relationship between Lucka and Mira (Dael Orlandersmith) is formed.  Mira is not new to drug use. Mira’s own family has suffered from the deathly effects of drugs. As an older woman trying to better her life through education, Mira acts a strong role model to Lucka.  When she confronts Loman about his addiction yelling the phrase “I hate junkies!” after hearing Lucka talk about his father recent activities shocks the audience and solidifies the control drugs have over the family. Just like his wife Loman is turned to the use of both cocaine and heroin. Throughout the play Desiree’s slight phrases about drug uses make the act thrilling.  When everything is revealed to Lucka about his parents: his respect decreases and his mother’s image shattered in his mind. Seeing his father’s shifting emotions Lucka realizes that his father has become and confronts his father about his issue.

Throughout the play Desiree uses small monologues to demonstrate the pleasures of using the drugs. When drug use is described, the audience takes with them the terrible effect of drugs on this small family. The acting was great and captivating, but the overall theme rose beyond their performance. Horsedreams was a play of reality.

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Gary Wilmes and Jennifer Lim in "Chinglish." Photo Credit: Sarah Krulwich.

David Henry Hwang’s new Broadway play Chinglish at the Longacre Theater, directed by Leigh Silverman, follows the bumbling escapades of American Businessman (and former Enron executive) David Cavanaugh (Gary Wilmes) as he tries to win a deal for his sign-making company in China. The story begins as Mr. Cavanaugh listens to advice from his “consultant” Peter Timms (Stephen Pucci) about how to succeed in corporate China. Mr. Timms explains that the Chinese admire big gamblers, regardless of whether or not they win or lose. This is a fitting opening to the play; which, as a bi-lingual Broadway show, is a big gamble itself. The super-titles projected onto the set in translation of the Chinese offered many laugh-out-loud moments as only the audience could understand the comic miscommunication occurring onstage. The biggest laughs of the night were achieved through the super-title translation; and yet the necessity of constantly reading the super-titles distracted from the facial expression and nuance of the actors.

Mr. Hwang’s script also lacked nuance in the stereotypical caricature of the manipulating, scheming Chinese businesswoman Xi Yan (Jennifer Lim), and the inept, uncomprehending American man David Cavanaugh who carries on an inevitable affair with Xi Yan. Mr. Hwang’s script embraced stereotype without confronting it, which left the main characters feeling rather brittle. The more interesting character was that of Peter Timms, the English teacher living in China posing as a business consultant. Stephen Pucci’s portrayal of Peter Timms was sincere and lovable. The other unexpected star of Chinglish was Minister Cai Guoliang, portrayed with endearing naiveté by Larry Lei Zhang.

The recurring motif of miscommunication was mirrored by the modern music between set changes which was garbled and confused, and sounded like many people talking at once. The chic set which rotated between the business office, hotel room, and hotel lobby emphasized the staggering speed of China’s charge into modernity.

In the end, Mr. Hwang’s Chinglish gamble paid off with an amusing, if somewhat trite, night of theater most relatable to anyone who speaks Chinese, or has a business background.

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Playwright Jordan Harrison on set for "Maple and Vine." Photo Credit: Sara Krulwich.

Maple and Vine, a play by Jordan Harrison, tells a complex story as it compares and contrasts life in 1955 and the present. We are offered an intriguing premise of a society and organization that endlessly perpetuates a lifestyle from 1955. The play manages to show us the suburban culture from this era but fails to deliver a unifying message or to demonstrate an overall theme. The overall narrative ends in two directions at the end.

Ryu (Peter Kim) is a successful plastic surgeon married to Katha (Marin Ireland), who works in publishing. They have both suffered from Katha’s recent miscarriage; Katha shows signs of depression and dissatisfaction with their lives. When Katha meets Dean (Trent Dawson), she is charmed by his old fashioned appearance and manner. Dean is a spokesperson for a community that voluntarily lives in the year 1955; they adhere to strict rules and believe that their structured, organized society lives with more freedom than the hectic modern lifestyle.

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Stephen Pucci and Jennifer Lim in "Chinglish." Photo Credit: Sara Krulwich.

David Henry Hwang’s new play Chinglish deals with communication and loyalty in today’s world, two large aspects of doing business. Thus, the hapless Midwestern businessman Daniel Cavanaugh (Gary Wilmes) opens the play with an explanation of chinglish, which describes the loss in translation of words between Chinese and English. He is trying to revitalize his failing signage company by finding a new market in a smaller Chinese city; he is convincing Minister Cai Guoliang and Vice Minister Xi Yan, Larry Lei Zhang and Jennifer Lim respectively, to contract him. To this end, he hires Peter Timms, an english teacher/business associate played by Stephen Pucci, to both translate and coach him. Here we learn the important concept of guanxi which describes the interpersonal relationships, social debts and capitol, and human networks in China. Guanxi forms the basis for business in China and remains an important theme throughout the play.

As business meetings are played through with comedic mistranslation and enthusiastic Chinese dialogue, we can see subtitles projected onto the wall above the actors. The enthusiasm and dynamic of the Chinese actors are the source of a lot of the humor in the scenes, providing a contrast to Cavanaugh’s confusion and Timm’s slickness. Xi and Cavanaugh’s attempt to communicate in broken English is a verbal and linguistic exercise that first leaves the audience just as confused and frustrated as the characters, then gives us collective respite when the breakthrough in understanding happens. Their great dynamic, first as business associates, then as lovers, shows us the level of relationships in China. Timm’s role and his personal connection to Minister Cai demonstrates the back-handedness that shows us when guanxi allows debts and loyalty to control the actions of the characters.

Gary Wilmes plays his part well, acting as the affable, plucky American the audience identifies with. Larry Zhang acts like a character from a sitcom throughout most of the play, but he also shows emotion well, especially in his last scene. However, most of the play is comedic and light in character. It does bring on a lot of laughs, which contrasts with the ending and makes it feel abrupt and sudden. However, the themes of the play show strongly, right up to the end.

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Marin Ireland, Jeanine Serralles and Trent Dawson in "Maple and Vine." Photo Credit: Sara Krulwich.

Ever feel like you were born in the wrong time period? That’s an understatement for Katha and Ryu. Maple and Vine, written by Jordan Harrison and directed by Anne Kauffman, is the story of a married couple named Katha and Ryu (Marin Ireland, Peter Kim) living in the modern world. They are living an average life but like most people, they don’t enjoy it. They feel that they are “allergic” to the 21^st century. Katha meets a man named Dean (Trent Dawson). There is something suspicious about this man. He is dressed in a suit and hat with a brief case. They spoke about a community that was supposed to be a replica of one in the 1950s. Eventually the couple moves to the community but they are forced to give up all of their modern day necessities such as computers, cell phones, and foreign takeout. In the 50s, multiracial couples weren’t accepted, so Katha and Ryu had to deal with racial slurs and discrimination. The play also dealt with same sex couples. Dean and his “friend” Roger (Pedro Pascal) are hiding a big secret! Dean is married to Ellen (Jean Serralles) who is part of Dean and Roger’s big plot.

Maple and Vine was probably the best play I’ve seen in a while. Unlike most plays nowadays, the characters had emotion. They sold their parts and I found that they were believable. The play was laced with humor yet had a serious touch. I enjoyed the set, even though it required stage-crew. The center of the stage was automatic and would move up and down when there was a need for a change. Although when the centerpiece of the stage went down, I had a feeling somebody was going to fall into the hole. Thankfully nobody fell and the play ran smoothly. The only negative was the “15” minute intermission. The intermission was actually 30 minutes. This was due to the great amount of work the stage-crew had to do. Plus, the show I attended was only the 1^st day of previews and hopefully will be resolved later on in the show’s run. Otherwise, Maple and Vine is a great play and is totally recommended!

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Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha and Camille Mana in “Asuncion". Photo Credit: Ari Mintz.

The simple stage of Jesse Eisenberg’s new play Asuncion (produced by the Rattlestick Theater Company) is an apartment of at least two single males.  As the lights go on, we watch a man in his late twenties, smoking pot, wander out on the stage, light candles, and start playing with a keyboard and African drum.

Eisenberg makes it very clear very early on, in conversations, props, and set pieces, the characters’ interpretations of racial differences.  Edgar is against racial hatred to the extent that he was extremely racist – assuming Asuncion (a female character who comes into their lives) is a prostitute from a slum and running from the mob, and that was the reason his brother (her husband) is having her stay with Edgar and Vinny. Edgar spends the entire week Asuncion is staying with them gathering ‘proof’ that she is a prostitute, all of which comes out when, at the end of the week, all three of them are high on LSD, Vinny shows the list to Asuncion.  

I felt bad for Edgar, a jittery post-grad who had a massive crush on his former T.A. and bowed to his every whim.  Vinny was difficult for me, as he was trying to make Edgar stand up for himself while exploiting Edgar’s very obvious affection for him.

I genuinely didn’t think that I would like Asuncion, honestly. I didn’t like The Social Network, which lead me not to like Jesse Eisenberg. However, this play made my opinion change.  All in all, it’s an enjoyable show, and I would recommend it to anyone. Fair warning, however: the language and innuendo isn’t for the innocent or naïve.

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7 Fingers Production presents "Traces". Photo Credit: Michael Meseke.

There are none of the typical signs onstage at Union Square Theater indicating that a circus-type show is about to start, except for two vertical poles dead center. Replacing carnival rings and nets and clowns are everyday objects such as chairs, a piano, a wooden desk, and…a screen with my face on it? I recognize myself in surveillance footage that was taped a few minutes earlier of people entering the theater to see Traces. It is a shock to the system to realize that I was unknowingly being filmed minutes before, but it breaks the barrier between the stage and the audience and foreshadows how personal Traces will be. Then seven performers burst onto the stage unexpectantly and begin an energetic modern dance sequence with a few components of the more-daring acrobatic feats that lie ahead. Over the next 90 minutes, the performers risk their lives to impress the engaged audience, and achieve their goal of making the circus art form sophisticated and creative.

Traces avoids circus clichés and instead focuses on the talents of each performer, adding in other elements to assemble a multi-faceted spectacle. 7 fingers Production, the company that created Traces, was founded in Quebec in 2002 with the specific vision of designing shows that combine the acrobatic elements of a circus with additional forms of entertainment. The performers are called “artists” instead of acrobats or jugglers or gymnasts, etc. because they present many facets of themselves during the show. For example, the artists play piano and guitar, sing, speak in other languages, and incorporate “street forms” such as skateboarding and a choreographed basketball dance (not as cheesy as it sounds).

With all these talents mixed into one show, it seems as if Traces would be disorganized and perhaps unappealing to watch, but the narrative moves smoothly between each of the seven performers getting his/her time for typical circus stunts, and the artists introducing themselves through singing, stating random facts, or even showing their baby pictures. The title Traces represents what kind of traces humans leave behind each day as they carry on with life, and it appropriately connects to the intimate feeling within the theater as the artists open up and interact honestly and comically with one another. The entire cast then performs together at the end; they swing and leap between the poles, and flip and jump across the stage at incredible heights without nets or safety wires.

Although sometimes it seems that as audience members we have “seen it all,” Traces originality sets it apart from other circus-style shows, and reveals that art forms are blending in order to create new kinds of entertainment. As a result, performers need to become more versatile, and these seven artists not only meet this challenge but also surpass it in order to elevate Traces beyond any preconceived notions.

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Marin Ireland and Jeanine Serralles in "Maple and Vine". Photo Credit: Sara Krulwich.

Katha lies awake in bed, unable to fall back asleep. The screech of cars, their loud neighbors, the soft rush of the sound of nature (must-haves for all insomniacs) echo in the small theater at Playwrights Horizons and Katha, played by the vivid Marin Ireland, lies awake in the middle of this all, unable to go back to sleep. Maple and Vine, written by Jordan Harrison and directed by Anne Kauffman, follows the life of a burnt-out editor at a publishing house who had recently suffered a miscarriage. She moves through her normal life as if in a dream, awkwardly acting out the motions of modern day domestic life with her husband, Ryu (Peter Kim), a soft-spoken plastic surgeon.

But a chance meeting with Dean, portrayed by a smart Trent Dawson, a sharply dressed man speaking in a clipped Mid-Atlantic accent straight from Mad Men, brings color back into Katha’s cheeks. The Society for Dynamic Obsolescence, Dean describes, is a community of people just like himself who have chosen to faithfully reproduce life from the fifties; specifically, 1955. Simpler times, Dean and his wife, Ellen (Jeanine Serralles) describe, walking amidst the audience as if giving one of their presentations on the SDO. In their gated community, life is simple. Milk is delivered straight to the door, wives know their place (at home), men are real men and most importantly, there is no advanced technology. No iPads, no cellphones, no Internet or computers or any of the hallmarks of modern life.

Katha convinces her husband, Ryu, to try this out for a trial period and they enter a world defined by the Mason-Dixon line, mid century sentiments and rules of conformity; in an effort to keep the experience ‘authentic’ any mentions of the present day or anything following 1955 is forbidden (including the Civil Rights Act), but scandal and political intrigue still lurk in the shadows of this seemingly-benign community. Expertly juggling the tricky issues of race and sexuality, modern day versus nostalgia, Maple and Vine cleverly captures the appeal of the current Mad Men craze and parodies it all in one. Whether in 2011 or 1955, whether there are cellphones or iPads or just simple radios and black and white televisions, life goes on, just as complicated as it always has been.

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Blue Man Group at Astor Place Theater. Photo Credit: Paul Kolnick.

Going to see the Blue Man Group at the Astor Place Theater was an amazing experience, especially being one of the first performances I’ve watched in a while. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was a completely non-verbal show with the only dialogue coming from props, not the actual performers. The show was heavily reliant on audience participation which made it very enjoyable to sit through. The group consisted of three men painted blue and dressed in all black. It started out with the silhouettes of each man playing the drums one at a time until they real revealed. They poured paint onto the drums while playing and created works of art by allowing canvases to be hit with different colors of paint.

The men seemed to have come from a different world and were not accustomed to the regularities we live with. The Blue Man Group made references to popular culture with the ‘GiPad’ as a main component and making light of the common lack of personal communication in today’s society. It almost felt like a rock concert at times, with the band playing, high energy and use of strobe lights. I enjoyed the drum playing and making use of pipes as an instrument.

I was not expecting to enjoy The Blue Man Group as much as I did because I didn’t know what exactly it was about and thought it was a little weird prior to actually watching it. The fact that I had so much fun and it was only a dress rehearsal in Astor Place’s small theater made me really consider going to see the big production on Broadway.

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