We all know that guy who is the professor on everything. That one guy who assumingly is all-knowing and, of course, ten times better than you are and ever will be. You know the guy I’m talking about, the man who when you talk to him, the only thought running through your head is “Is it rude to punch this guy in the face?” The character of Edgar is truly a tribute to “that guy”, and I believe that Jesse Eisenberg captures that so well in his new play Asuncion.
Let’s forget for a second that Jesse Eisenberg is an academy-award nominated young man and that Justin Bartha has also appeared quite frequently on the Big Screen, for these preconceived notions may cloud our judgment. When you remove these biases you will be pleasantly surprised to find that the play still holds water. The performances were solid, ranging from wildly serious to riotously funny.
Everything about this play was awesome. Dirty dishes aside, I wish my apartment was as chill as Vinny and Edgars, and, in concurrence with Kayde, I just may convince my roommate to let me redecorate in the near future. The helter-skelter quality the set gave off helped add to the free-spirited nature of Bartha’s character. Every character on that stage had natural humoristic tendencies, which offset the semi-serious theme of the play.
That’s really what I loved about the play- the rolling on floor laughing quality it contained. I honestly feel bad for the people around me, because whenever I get going I probably have the most obnoxious laugh in the whole world, and that laugh was pretty much persistent throughout the entire show.
But the play consisted of more than cheap sex jokes and hilarious “off the cuff” comments. The reason it was so funny was because it was so real. The play was mind-blowingly honest, and that is why I loved it so much. Going back to what I said earlier, we all know “that guy”. That young man who is so “open minded” and “worldly” is really put to the test when Asuncion struts into his door, and this concept is so great. What Mr Eisenberg really conveyed here was that we all are susceptible to profiling, even those who claim to be the most fair minded and non-judgmental people in the world. As the Avenue Q song goes, “we’re all a little bit racist sometimes”. He really makes a person think twice about their own perceptions of everyone and whether or not they are making some snap judgments themselves. His criticisms were both accurate and reflective of our own hypocritical society. The show was extremely effective, and in the attempt it wasn’t overly dramatic and depressing, as most shows about prejudice and racism are. I loved this show, so much so that I am seriously considering seeing it again.
One thing that was so amazing about Asuncion was that it was intriguing yet humorous, which I think is very hard to accomplish. I think that Jesse Eisenberg did a great job in writing the play and acting in it. The other actors, especially Justin Bartha, were so amazing. They became so involved in what they were doing and it made the play very believable and relatable. I really felt for Edgar when he wasn’t invited to hang out with Asuncion and Vinny, especially since he was trying so hard to prove he was fun. Overall, I loved the play because it was funny, yet it made me think about my own ignorance.
There is a significance to the play, which is not to judge people and stereotype them. This message was clear throughout the play. Edgar and Vinny are supposed to be very open-minded individuals, who are worldly and knowledgeable. These qualities are questioned during the play, and you realize that Edgar and Vinny are just ignorant. Edgar constantly boasts about visiting Cambodia and living there, and it was actually just for two days. He feels that the Philippines and Cambodia are the same place. It’s interesting because there’s a world map hanging in the back but it’s somewhat pointless for it to be hanging there when no one’s going to bother to use it. The play was very effective in conveying its message, which was to not be racist.
However, I felt like there was something more going on. The complexities of Edgar and Vinny’s relationship were not explored enough; not a lot of background information was provided. The only information the audience knew was that Vinny was Edgar’s TA three years ago. I don’t think that was enough. I felt their relationship was important and meaningful but it remained unclear. Even though the play is named Asuncion, after Stuart’s wife, the main focus for me was Vinny and Edgar’s relationship. For some reason, Edgar feels the need to please Vinny. He’s so willing to do anything and everything for him. Edgar feels the need to constantly imply how worldly and educated he is to mask his insecurities and make Vinny like him. This aspect of the play was vague but overall, the play was very effective. Jesse Eisenberg, as a playwright, was successful in expressing how stereotypes never apply to everybody and how important it is for people to not judge others.
I found the play to be so amusing and funny but there was something that was missing. I didn’t realize what it was until I began this blog and was forced to think deeper into it. It just feels incomplete because I don’t know what happens after the last scene. Does Edgar make his journey to Africa, or does he continue to live with Vinny?
To be honest, I’m actually surprised that I did not blog about this play sooner. I absolutely loved it. Not to mention, I was 20 or so feet away from Jessie Eisenberg and Justin Bartha the whole time. Even before the play started, I got a positive vibe from it, and I remember telling Ashley that I would love to have an apartment layout similar to the one on the set.
Was the play effective? As for the humor, I thought it was great. I found the crude remarks to be embarrassingly hilarious, and Edgar’s pretentiousness to be highly entertaining. I have always been drawn to characters that are unintentionally awkward, and Eisenberg has the ability to effectively portray that through the character of Edgar (possibly because he also has a sense of adorable awkwardness about him). Throughout the play, I sympathized for Edgar for being so unaware of his misplaced prejudice and for being excluded from the fun that Vinny and Asuncion seemed to be having. However, at the same time there were a few times where I wanted to chime in and declare how ignorant his perception of Asuncion is and perhaps even point out Cambodia and the Philippines on his map so he can see that they have A WHOLE SEA separating them.
Eisenberg clearly satirized the effects of stereotypes and ignorance on relationships, however, I’m not sure whether the satire stopped at humor or whether it truly encouraged the audience to question their own prejudices. Having many Filipino friends, I was surprised that I hadn’t heard the stereotype of them being “mail order brides,” but this play did allow me to see how ridiculous the stereotype is. I also found it ironic how Vinny and Edgar are oblivious to their racism. They believe majoring in African Studies and spending two days in Cambodia makes them less judgmental than the average person. Never mind the fact that Edgar was in Cambodia by accident. Never mind the fact that Vinny is actually TERRIBLE at composing African music. The characters, especially Edgar, are so wrapped up in their own selfish worlds, that they don’t seem to realize that these details are very much isolated from their actual lives.
All in all, I enjoyed this play very much, and even made a few friends jealous because I met Jessie Eisenberg (which I’m still very psyched about by the way).
Now that I have my critic name, pen, and hat it’s time to review the production of Ascuncion! I think it was the best piece we’ve seen this semester. Just from seeing the cover of the playbill I was thinking, “Woah, famous people! This is gonna be grrrrrreat!” Now seeing Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha on the big screen and miniature screen (my TV) was one thing, but to see them on a stage really showed their amazing acting skills. And I must say Jesse Eisenberg is quite the playwright.
The play was absolutely hilarious. The combination of Bartha’s pothead, wacky acting, Eisenberg’s neuroticisms and the witty jokes resulted in several bursts of laughter. I’m also glad that I found someone else who shares my interest in palindromes. During the subway ride to the show I decided to go around and say everyone’s name backwards, it’s a big ism of mine. It came up with several interesting and entertaining results: Rimaa, Ylime, Assyla but my favorite is Natasha’s which is…Ah Satan! So you can guess my excitement when Edgar starts spitting out palindromes and one of them is Ahsatan Natasha!
Next on my review checklist: the set and music. Before Macaulay, I’ve only seen a handful of plays and honestly I never bothered paying attention to the set. It was only during the Bald Soprano where I began to see how the set is a huge part of telling the story. And I must say it really does help with the storytelling and the plot. The colors of the set, the furniture, the disorganization, etc. all reflect parts of the plot or help amplify certain elements. For instance, when Vinny found Edgar’s notebook and revealed his secret ripping out the pages and throwing the post-its all over the room, the disorganization reflected the anarchy of the scene.
As many of you know from watching my vlog, I am a firm believer of the magic of music. This play is proof of my core thesis: that music has magical abilities. You put some Ke$ha on and Ascuncion and Vinny started a crazy dance party! Another music or in this case sound effect, was when Edgar asked Ascuncion to turn the music off because he wanted to enjoy each others company and hear the sounds of nature, then you hear a motorcycle pass through, brilliant! From Vinny’s first smoke to him acting like an African tribe member, music played a huge part in this play.
Like many of my classmates I left the play laughing then ran to shake the actor’s hands, but being the inquisitive man I am I had to question what Eisenberg’s overall message was? And honestly, I didn’t find it very difficult to find. Eisenberg’s play much like the other pieces we’ve read/seen in this unit share the theme of racism and prejudice. As we found out in our show-and-tell blog, Queens is incredibly diverse, and we should be proud of that. However, unfortunately in this diversity we face racist and judgmental views. At least one character in Do the Right Thing, Yellowface, Ascuncion, Maria Full of Grace, and A View From the Bridge, face prejudice in one shape or form. Why? Ignorance, fear of the unfamiliar, human nature, etc.
Even though a woman is from the Philippines, it doesn’t mean she’s a sex slave. Even though a man is Muslim or from the Middle East, it doesn’t mean he’s a terrorist. Lets face it we all love to poke fun at the stereotypes of our ethnic groups. I know I always love to make jokes of Persian-American accents! However, there is a thin line between playful fun and hurtful racism.
Now that I can check off food for thought from my checklist, time to end on a happy note. I recommend this play for anyone and everyone, it was a great night of laughs (I was worried I might LMAO at one point!). Oh also two last tips: for any of those play noobs like me…after the first hour when the lights turns on, it’s not the end of the play, it’s an intermission! And bring some OJ with you before the play because after the play I craved OJ but lucky for me Penn Station had some. ^_^
Ebrahim’s Review Checklist:
– Make up a critic name (Check)
– Talk about the acting (Check)
– Talk about the script (Check)
– Talk about the set and music (Check)
– Give some food for thought (Check)
– Make some entertaining side notes (Check)
NYTimes Arts
