I have to admit, my initial expectations for Asuncíon were low. Although Jesse Eisenberg is a phenomenal actor, he has never written a play before, and I have never seen him act in a live performance. Having done acting off and on stage, I can say for a fact that performing live and playing a role in a movie are two completely different experiences. In addition to my doubts with Jesse, the title through me for a loop as I thought the play would be about a Spanish individual named Asuncíon trying to make a living for themself in America, which in all honesty doesn’t seem very entertaining. Thankfully, all my preconceptions were wrong!
Asuncíon is a witty, comedic, energetic, and slightly perverted performance that everyone, ages 17 and up, should experience. I have never seen a play that had me crying, laughing, astonished, and fearful all at the same time. Jesse’s writing blew me away. Incorporating sex slaves, drugs, and fellatio into a story that conveys important messages about stereotyping and self-perception was ingenious. Throughout Asuncíon, one could find hundreds of subtle and blatant displays of stereotypes. While Jesse’s character, Edgar, is believes his cell phone was stolen by a group of African American gangsters, perceives his Filipino sister-in-law to be a sex slave, or thinks his older brother is a corrupt business man that bought a foreign prostitute to be his wife, it makes me wonder how blind people are to their own stereotypes. People are always so quick to judge others, they sometimes forget to stop and give themselves some constructive criticism. It’s so easy to forget to take a step back and take look at ourselves, and Asuncíon does a fantastic job reminding us to do so.
In order to have a great show, one needs a cast to fit the part. Performing alongside Jesse were Camille Mana (Asuncíon), Remy Auberjonois (Stuart), and The Hangover’s Justin Bartha (Vinny). Although Jesse’s performance was great, it was Justin Bartha’s performance that really surpassed my expectations. An actor who tends to play second hand roles, I was interested to see how Justin would fare off taking on a main part, in a live play nonetheless. Surprisingly, Justin took the role head on and did a phenomenal job, equal if not better than Jesse’s. Anyone who could convince the audience to believe that he was about to make Jesse “suck his dick” on stage without actually doing so deserves a Tony in my book. Of course, I could not forget to mention Camille Mana’s and Remy Auberjonois’ performances as they were able to hold their own even among such famous stars like Jesse and Justin. The whole cast was able to create an atmosphere in which I felt immerged into the situation at hand and sympathize with the characters.
Overall I loved Asuncíon and I refer it to anyone who gets the chance to stop by the Cherry Lane Theater; and no, its not because I got to personally meet Jesse and Justin after performance to find out that they were more than happy to sign my playbill and take a picture with me. But I have to admit, it did make the whole experience a little bit more surreal. Thanks again Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha!
If you were wondering, that is Jesse smiling
