I saw the Chris understudy last spring, and he was so wrong, so histrionically over the top and yet canned, the whole story became even less appetizing. And yet, it made a bigger thematic point, by removing an attractive, romantically viable young man from the point of access: the indifference, mistreatment and sociopolitical abuse of this young woman is a searing portrait of hegemony run amok. All of the isms attached this show -- imperialism and colonialism the biggies -- stand out when Chris is vacuous, just a big voice in shallow shell.
Noblezada, raw and yeah, so young her naivete was almost embarrassing to watch, as it should be. She lifted the show for me, and she made a case for its cautionary tale. |
