This production has got to be the funniest play I have ever seen by FAR! I was literally entertained from beginning to end. Everything about the show intrigued me, from the intricate set to the vivacious characters. And is it wrong that I found all the sexual jokes hilarious?? When Professor Healey announced in class that Jesse Eisenberg had written the show, only one thing was going through my mind: “Who the hell is Jesse Eisenberg??” I had never seen “The Social Network” so that name was completely foreign to me. But now I know Jesse Eisenberg is a very famous actor and playwright (who seems to naturally give off an awkward vibe on and off stage) who managed to successfully convey a powerful message in his play, Asunción.
There were many interesting aspects in the play. Though the main focus was to show the effects and commonness of racism, I found myself fascinated with the ambiguous relationship between Edgar and Vinny. Throughout the play, Edgar goes out of his way to please Vinny. Vinny’s every word seemed to be a solid law to Edgar, which made me wonder what it is about Vinny that makes Edgar so drawn to him, so eager to get on his good side. Was it just because Edgar saw Vinny as a respectable mentor and looked up to him? Or did Edgar’s feelings for Vinny go beyond their friendship? I would have liked Eisenberg to write more about what was going on between the two roommates. Other than that, I thought all the actors portrayed their characters extremely well. And let’s not forget the unbelievable scene, where we ALMOST got to see Justin Bartha’s buttocks! (It was a bit embarrassing to witness, actually.)
This play was definitely effective in showing viewers how people can be so narrow minded and ignorant about different cultures. As soon as Edgar met Asuncion and learned where she had come from, he jumped to absurd conclusions, quickly labeling her as a prostitute. He developed a firm preconception of her immediately and stuck to it, even after he got to know her a little better and saw that she was actually a very sweet person. I thought this aspect of the play was so realistic. It showed that even a very worldly and educated person can hold unfair stereotypes. This was a perfect reflection of our society today, where practically everyone has prejudices against other races. Thankfully, Eisenberg was talented enough to express this message to the audience while still managing to put the entire room into hysterics.
