My World is My Stage

I had the chance to see this play in Denver during the NNPN National Showcase of New Plays a while back. At the Showcase, it was presented in a stage reading and at Humana, the play was fully staged. While I really appreciate the staged readings, as an art form, and what it can do for plays, there is nothing like seeing a play fully staged; all of the added elements really bring a story to life in ways that the reading can’t. 

The story is a coming of age of three young kids who are forced by their parents to mature faster than normal. Edith, a twelve year-old, and her older brother, Kenny (16) are left to raise themselves as their doctor father spends most of his time away from them. Leaving them with a beater of a car, two ATM cards, and the farm, the father remains absent for most of their lives, outside of the occasional phone check-in. Benji, Kenny’s boyfriend, is kicked out of his house by his mother when she uncovers his homosexuality.

What this play does a GREAT and REMARKABLE job at is normalizing the otherness of this world. While both Kenny and Edith are Filipino-Americans, the play does not force us to accept that. They are two kids who live in the mid-west who happen to eat both Italian bread pizza and chicken afritada. Additionally, both Benji and Kenny’s homosexuality allow us to understand why Benji is ostracized by his parents but doesn’t become a comment on him as a person. Too often the “other” is viewed as such throughout the entire play and we end up seeing a play that comments on this otherness. While I believe there is a place for that, I do LOVE when a play makes the audience accept the “other” as the norm and operates in that world for the entirety of the piece. 

What was interesting was that this seemed to be the “ethnic” play of the weekend. This play was one of three plays that featured actors of color (one of which was a Latino house servant). It was also the only full length play written by a person of color. While it was not the only play that discussed homosexuality, it was the only one that didn’t treat it as an evil or a secret that needs to be suppressed. 

The play was well staged. Two of the three actors were also in the Denver version and I enjoyed their performances both times. The third character was new to me, and although I felt like his portrayal was a little stocky and broad, he did seem to capture the character the author was writing. 

I would love to work on this play. While it isn’t my story, I believe this story has resonance and needs to be told. It definitely fits in my kind of aesthetic (realistic setting and story-telling style, linear narrative, grounded characters). I could see this play in CPT’s future!