It is Wednesday afternoon.I am sitting on the couch, half asleep, thinking to myself “It is such a dull day! I don’t think I want to go to Theater Day, I’m way too tired from the first two orientations.” After repeating this to myself to justify not going, I finally decided that I was too curious about the play to just stay at home, so I headed toward the theater.

Then, as “The Indian Wants the Bronx” began, I must admit I was disappointed. It did not seem real to me. The wonderful thing about theater is that it’s so up close that it feels real to the audience. However, this play did not leave me enraptured. I felt sympathy for the Indian, and even for the two delinquents who had such conflicting emotions that they did not know what they were doing. On the other hand I thought the boys’ actions were too extreme, making it not seem real. It did not affect me as much as reading the play did.

Did anyone else notice that the Indian’s turban kept falling? It really bothered me because I did not think that was supposed to happen. This simple flaw in the costume took away from the feeling of reality. Other than that, I thought the costumes added to the understanding of the story. Two boys dressed in ordinary clothes come across someone who is obviously different from them. His clothes stand out to the two boys, and so they decide to bother him.

In this play Horovitz addresses the issues of hatred for someone that is different, which, although this play was written long ago, still occurs today. People are always intimidated by what they do not understand. On top of that, the boys are a commentary on the American justice system. They killed a man and stole a car, yet they are still roaming the streets. They have a social worker that, although she knows their background, gives them knives for Christmas. I found this particularly interesting. Also, instead of the boys trying to reform themselves after committing a crime, they act like children and abandon the Indian. Overall, the play was effective in commenting on these social issues.

I do not have much to say about the second play, “What Strong Fences Make”, except that I was utterly disheartened when I could not hear a thing. I was in the middle of the theater, leaning forward in my seat, and still did not grasp what it was about. Once someone told me the plot, I realized that the play was really interesting and I would have liked it. In this play Horowitz was commenting on a man’s dedication to his family over his country, since he blows up the bus terminal in response to their death.

The costume of the man on the right really confused me, because he had a cloth on top of his head, so I did not think this play took place in America. He looked like a foreigner. The soldier always appeared hesitant and was making quick movements, to show the audience that he was conflicted between his sense of duty and his friendship with the other man. This was an important part of the play because at the end he does not harm his old friend. Instead his friend hurts him, which shows he is more devoted to his mission than the soldier is. I do wish that there were more scenery though; it would make the play appear more realistic.

The last play, “Beirut Rocks” was my favorite of the three. It was intense and filled with emotion. There was more scenery than the first two plays, and this added to the story, because the characters were all stuck together in a cramped hotel room, and as the war rages on outside, the characters create tension and start a small war inside the hotel room. The sounds of the bombs scared me, and I felt as nervous as the four students in the small room. Nasa’s clothes, like the clothes of the Indian of the first play, separate her from the others, and once Benji sees this he accuses her of wearing a wire. This action is again a social commentary on people attacking those that are different. Benji displays racism, but after Nasa is violated she says the extreme remark of “the world would be better without Jews.” I was shocked when she said this; it made me lose all sympathy for her. I liked how this play surprised me until the very end, and although there was too much screaming I find it better than having to strain to hear anything.

Each play showed forms of hatred towards other races and people, which was for me shocking, emotional and intense. Ultimately, I was glad I came.

The simple stage design, including trashcans and a telephone booth, was perfect for The Indian Wants The Bronx. The vague location added to the play by demonstrating that random acts of violence, like the one occurring in the play, are possible anywhere. The costumes where well chosen and the actors successfully delivered the lines and made the story come to life on stage.

While I personally didn’t enjoy the play because of the lack of plot and subject matter, I do see some value in the story.  If you focus solely on the part of the innocent Indian, it is easy to sympathize with the character.  A story about a   minority being attacked by uneducated white guys isn’t exactly a new concept and it doesn’t take much to see what is wrong with that scenario. Obviously, Horowitz is trying to send the message that racism and violence are bad. The question is, are there any other themes hidden beneath the obvious? I think there are.

While the behavior of Joey and Murph cannot be justified, it can be explained. In their conversation about Pussyface (their social worker) and their promiscuous mothers, you can identify the source of Joey and Murph’s frustration. I think that the assault on the Indian and other criminal activities mentioned in the play were acts of misplaced anger. With no fathers or male role models mentioned and two mothers who would sleep with their sons best friends, it is easy to identify that their terrible home lives are the reason why Joey and Murph feel the need to violently lash out. I think that maybe Horowitz included these details not only to help the audience see Joey and Murph as something more than just stupid thugs and criminals, but also to put a spotlight on how a child’s environment impacts their adult life and comment on the general causes of troubled American youth.

Considering the setting of the What Strong Fences Make is a military checkpoint and “fences” is the third word in the title, I felt that it would have been nice if the set design might have actually included a fence. The combination of the terrible acoustics in the auditorium, the prop-less stage, and my unfamiliarity with the political situation the play was based upon, made What Strong Fences Make extremely difficult for me to follow.  I constantly had to ask my friends in the audience what was going on, which ruined the experience.  The army fatigue worn by the soldier was the only indication of the plays location and I didn’t understand that the second character was a suicide bomber until the end when he actually blew up.

Beirut Rocks was my favorite play out of the three.  The set didn’t really add to or take a way from the story, the costumes where realistic, and the sound effects and lighting were ok. For me, it was the acting that made the play. The tension between Benji and Nasa was perfect and the play’s impact on the audience was great! Art is meant to say something. It’s supposed to send a message and if someone finds it offensive then that’s what makes it good! I guarantee Beirut Rocks made everyone in the audience stop and think. While Benji’s character is easy to hate, he’s not the only one to blame. The other guy (who’s name I forgot) and Sandy let Benji violate Nasa in the most cruel and hurtful way.  All three of them, not just Benji, strip Nasa of her pride and force her to break one of the most sacred rules of her religion. All three of them push her to say the things she says out of anger. When Nasa told her story about her entire family being killed and how she is reinventing herself and assimilating into Palestinian culture to feel closer to her family I almost started crying! Needless to say, I thought the actress who portrayed Nasa was incredible.  Maybe it was because she was a woman, but it was almost easier for me to side with her than with Benji.

I think Horowitz’s intention for Beirut Rocks was to confuse the audience. He wanted us not to be able to decide which side we wanted to take. There was no obvious good or evil character.  Both the Jewish character and the Muslim character had undesirable characteristics.  I think he was commenting on how war brings out the worst, most carnal instincts in human beings.  Nasa’s last lines in the play are that she is going become a suicide bomber and murder Benji’s family. I think Horovitz was taking an anti-war position by showing us that killing doesn’t solve anything. Killing innocent people (Nasa’s family), just turns innocent people (like Nasa) into murderers.

As a collection of pieces I thought that The Indian Wants The Bronx didn’t really fit in with the other two.  While they all share the common themes of racism and racial profiling, I thought that it would have been better if the collection focused only on Israeli-Palestinian relations.