I never expected Asuncion to be as great as I thought it would be. From the title I honestly thought it was going to be another Spanish play and I was excited for it. When we sat in our seats I saw the set and immediately realized that this was not going to be what I expected at all. It surprised me and that wasn’t a bad thing at all.
If I had to recommend a theater performance to anyone it would be this one. It was a hilarious ride that was all brought together by the fast paced script, the awesome performance from actors Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha, and the cool hipster apartment set that gave everything more meaning. I have to stop and talk about the set that really engaged me towards learning more about the characters that live there. It was a small compact stage with a very realistic depiction of a New York apartment with a small kitchen and living room that seemed to fit everything that was needed. There was the one couch with a coffee table, the stereo with a cd collection and a desk/music corner. In the kitchen the African poster stood out and it actually made me wonder about why it is there. We soon find out that its because Justin Bartha’s character Vinny teaches African studies. The set stands out a lot as I remember the play and I would actually want to live in an apartment like that.
Watching the play was like watching a television sitcom but it was our own private performance. Instead of the fake audience television laughs we actually laughed as an audience. This was a new feeling for me because I haven’t seen many comedic plays other than this and The Bald Soprano this one clearly being the better experience. Jesse Eisenberg took his comedy extremely seriously and it was awesome. His awkwardness in the way he portrayed Edgar and his introverted homosexuality developed as the story moved along. Eisenberg wrote his character to his own strengths and it made his character seem like him. Even off stage when we all saw him outside he seemed very awkward and did anyone notice that he never smiled? I don’t remember him smiling at all he was very hyper while cleaning the bathroom after his LSD trip but I still don’t remember him smiling. It was alright because it was really funny. His own personal style was memorable and I liked that he actually left the theater on a bike like Edgar would have.
I really liked how we all were able to discuss the play during the intermission as the first half left us wanting to know what happens next. It was exciting and at first I thought the play was over and I really didn’t want it to be. Luckily it was intermission and I knew from the first half already this play was going to be one of the best things we see this semester. The second half surprised me again because that’s where all the action was. The best joke out of all that I am going to remember is when Edgars brother comes back to their apartment and says something along the lines of, “ This place is a mess, except for the bathroom which is spotless.” This play outshined the other plays we’ve seen in terms of story, acting, and overall enjoyment and that is what I will remember.
