So here I am, tapping away on my keyboard telling you all about my thoughts and feelings again. I’ve been doing this for a really long time now, you know? Three months is a long time right? Right? Anyway, I’ve reviewed plays, pieces of art, researched New York City, and told you my inner thoughts on trending topics. I did this willingly and semi-happily.
My only goal here was to please.
Like really please.
Textually.
However, I must note that I only received one comment on any of my blogs. It was about Jesse Eisenberg being Jewish. I don’t know if the commenter was mad or happy, but I was just glad to get any attention. Also, Professor Healey’s critique on my writing gave me a nice smile. I like feedback, negative or positive. Oh, and I received no hearts, which explains my semi-happy writing.
Nevertheless, I have here my final stand. Like it or hate it, I care not, unless of course you are my professor. So here we go.
I’ve read God of Carnage, In Arabia We’d All Be Kings, Yellowface, The Matchmaker, A View From the Bridge, Kindness, and The Mercy Seat. These scripts were all a great read and they provided good insight on different points of views of New York; there’s the issue of immigrants and how they’re treated within Yellowface; the life of the lower class in In Arabia We’d All Be Kings; a different take on the events of September 11th in The Mercy Seat; and just many other peculiar situations that take place in New York City. Of all the books that I’ve read, Yellowface, which was written by David Henry Hwang, stuck to me the most. It could have been the dried up juice on the cover that bound us together for a few minutes, or perhaps the material of the cover. Alas, I jest. Seriously though, the book, of all the other interesting ones, did well in capturing my attention. Yellowface featured the issues of Asian immigrants in New York City. I am an Asian American whose family is full of Asian immigrants. Get what I mean? I connected with the character, and I was quite pleased once my professor made the class present a part of the play. I mean there isn’t much scrutiny for Asians nowadays, but there was definitely quite a lot of teasing when I was a kid. The connection is sorta there. Anyway, let’s get on with the show shall we?
Professor Healey did great in varying our exposure to the arts in New York. Aside from books, we watched some good plays, an opera, a dance, and observed some… interesting art pieces. The plays were all amazing in my opinion.
The Bald Soprano, perhaps the one play that didn’t get many good raves from my peers, was actually quite enjoyable to me and quite representative of the wealthy upper class of the New York Elite.
Intringulis was amazing, and it was a very unique performance. I didn’t know what to expect from a solo performance, but Carlo did a hell of a job. He exposed the real life of an illegal immigrant coming to New York with rock music, a paintball gun, writing, and a lot of shouting. He corrected a lot of misunderstanding and unknown facts about illegal immigrants. I’d say the whole thing was quite touching.
Asuncion was just freaking hilarious. That’s right, freaking. Boy did I get my laughs. First of all, they featured a Filipino woman. I am Filipino. Oh the joyous connections. Not to mention they had Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha on the set. WHAT?! Yeah. Although this was the one play that didn’t have the greatest connection to New York City, it was my favorite. If you want to stretch and connect it to New York, you can relate it to the ethnocentrism of New Yorkers, or something right? Of course.
Well anyway, the opera of Don Giovanni was boring. Opera is not my thing. The music, as well as the singing, was magnifico! However, the pace was insane. Not a good insane obviously. The opera is a part of the fantasy of New York that many of my peers and I don’t appeal to. The upper class sure enjoyed the heck out of it; mostly the break though, as we all did.
Finally, we have Supernatural Wife which was a dance. This dance had nothing to do about New York, so there’s not much to say in terms of portrayal and whatnot however, it was just really awesome. The funny looking dancing to heavy industrial music left me in a weird state of enjoyment. The Greek Chorus they had was absolutely brilliant too, with their smooth harmonies and comedic lyrics. Oh yeah, and we sat front row +. That’s in front of the front row. Being so close to the dancers was definitely a great experience. Speaking of experiences, I’d just like to thank my professor for the amazing opportunities in this course. Thank you very much!
Oh wait, who said I was done? Not me. Who could forget the movies? There was a lot of movies we watched this term. They all represented a good portion of New York in their own special way, such as Manhattan with its upper class, ridiculous issues (Oh, Woody Allen…); and Do the Right Thing with its representation of exaggerated racial tensions in New York. These movies were all amazing… except for the 9/11 documentary that I just didn’t like. I saw a great deal of classics that I had never seen before the course. So for that too, I give my thanks.
My favorite work? It has to be Asuncion. I just can’t get over the stun I got when I realized I was watching famous people in a play. Also, I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard during a play before. Everything appealed so well to me. I talked to Jesse FREAKIN Eisenberg! Alright, I don’t worship the man, but I get antsy when I meet famous people. Like when I met Snooky at the gym. Thats another story for another time.
The most truthful work? Intringulis. Illegal immigration is a serious topic in New York that I’ve actually taken the time to think about. There are people walking along the streets around us that have stories which would put us to our knees in tears. Illegal immigrants go through so many hardships, even if they’re famous like Carlo. New York City is a hub for these immigrants as it is the city of opportunity. Many people believe the New York opportunity has faded, but I don’t think so. I think it is still very much alive.
So here I am, tapping away on my keyboard telling you about my thoughts. (I apologize if I wrote too much. My mind has diarrhea.) This is the last time I’ll ever be here… My stage is finally taking a close. So I bid thee adieu. Farewell my faithful audience. Farewell my beautiful peers. Farewell awesome professor. The Arts in New York City course was definitely a blessing this semester. I am much more educated about New York now than before I walked into the course. So I am entirely grateful.
Much Love,
Reinard Bukalan
Thank you for listening.
