The Politics of Art & Authenticity

I was totally blown-away by the multimedia magic that was used to make House/Divided. As a mildly ADD person, I found the continuous shifts between the different forms of entertainment to be a huge relief after our last performance involved sitting for 3 hours listening to French.

I had never before felt personally moved by the plight of those who are forced out of their homes. I knew it existed, of course, but I never gave much thought to it. I can’t even fathom having my stuff thrown out on the street and being told that the place I call home is no longer mine. Even though it seemed like this performance was villainizing the “Big Bad Banks,” I know that of course there are two sides to every story. So I’m not sure what the banks should have done if these people were simply not keeping up with their payments. Maybe they should’ve given them more time? Or helped them come up with a way to repay them more slowly and in smaller increments? In any case, I’m usually wary of anything that seems totally one-sided.

The part that I felt was most dramatic was when Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers were slowly going bankrupt. I knew what the outcome would be, so I was holding my breath, waiting for when they would announce their predicament. I also found the two stockbrokers to be hilarious, so I looked forward to them coming on stage.

In terms of “The Grapes of Wrath,” I thought that the olden-day scenes pretty much echoed John Steinbeck’s famous work. The modern day bits were merely a more applicable spin on the same theme. That being said, I didn’t enjoy the old parts as much as the modern ones. Maybe it’s because I can’t relate to the farming life as much, but anyway I found those parts kind of boring. Still amazing though, just not as enjoyable as the rest of it.

House/Divided is a  really cool show, and very original in how they put a new spin on John Steinbeck’s classic work. I would love to see another multimedia performance like this one!