The Essentialisn’t

Roughly a third of the way through The Essentialisn't (great title), writer-director-performer Elisa Davis quotes Wikipedia:

“Essentialism is the view that every entity has a set of attributes that are necessary to its identity and function."

To a large extent essentialism is a more formal way of saying stereotyping. While both are based on shallow, inaccurate ideas, both are frequently embraced (not always consciously) by many people. Many, many people. The practical result of essentialism is that someone may feel that they know a person who they have never met, assuming that the person indeed possesses those preconceived attributes. Essentialism is a foundation of racism, sexism, and homophobia, and it also informs the thinking of many (many, many) good-hearted, non-hateful people. Like me, and very possibly you.

Photo: Daniel J. Vasquez

Davis pairs her dissection and dismissal of essentialism with a simple, powerful question, "Can you be Black and not perform?" Her answer is also simple and powerful: "No."

And there is a third aspect to the show: Black women's hair. It's discussed and used as costumes, and its images run through the show. 

Photo: Daniel J. Vasquez

This might suggest that The Essentialisn't is dry or preachy, but it is anything but. Davis has written a series of songs and performance sketches (for want of a better term), some straightforward, some allusive, some heartbreaking, many funny. From bobbing in a large glass box of water, roughly the size of a standalone shower; to fighting the stereotype that all black women can sing by dissecting/destroying "And I am telling you, I'm not going"; to providing an insight of what freedom might mean to someone long enslaved; to a three-way tug of war over a long braid of hair, Davis offers emotions and humor and humanity, and challenges our view of the world--and her own.

Davis's electronic soul score is effective and often beautiful, as is her voice. Her performance skills are excellent. Her bravery underlies all she does, as she takes us on an often painful journey.

The physical presentation is evocative and engaging: soundscape and sound design by Rucyl Mills, lighting design by Cha See, video design by Skye Mahaffie, and scenic and costume consultation by Peter Born.

Photo: Daniel J. Vasquez

There is much to admire here--in fact, I suspect that pretty much everything here is worth admiring. But here's the catch: the speed of the presentation and the quality of the sound design made much of the show unintelligible. I needed to read the script afterward to totally get what I had seen.

In general I think suggestions to artists from outsiders are tacky, so I instead have a request for Davis et al: would you consider adding words to the projections? Not closed captioning per se, but, rather, enough words to clarify what is being said. It would help the audience follow what is going on, and, really, we don't want to miss anything.

Wendy Caster

Twelfth Night, or What You Will

It's easier to enjoy Twelfth Night, or What You Will, the inaugural production at the newly redone Delacorte, if you accept that it's not exactly Twelfth Night. The show is lively, funny, a fabulous night at the theatre, but it mostly lacks emotional resonance and meaning. Twelfth Night Lite, if you will.

I have two opposing, completely honest reviews. Review one is how I felt sitting in the theatre. I was happy, laughing, loving the cool faux-autumn air, and feeling so grateful to watch such a starry cast. (Peter Dinklage! Sandra Oh! Daphne Rubin-Vega! Jesse Tyler Ferguson! Et cetera!) Review two is how I felt when I was telling my sister about the show the next day. Although I said a lot of positive things, she said, "I feel a but coming on." And the but was this: on reflection, the production felt like nothing. It's definitely a problem when the curtain call is one of the best parts of the show.

[spoiler]

The one moment that lands as fully developed and true-to-the-play is the reunion of the twins, each of whom thought the other was dead. Played by actual siblings Lupita Nyong'o and Junior Nyong'o, the twins are dressed and coifed identically, underlining their strong resemblance. They're both fine actors, and the scene would have worked with less resemblance, but the similarity adds an extra level of truth. 

What really makes this scene so strong, however, is that the reunion is spoken entirely in Swahili. They're not just finding each other; they're finding themselves, their language, their home. It is deeply moving, particularly in the context of the shallowness of the rest of the production. 

[end of spoiler]

It feels churlish to complain about a solid, star-filled, laugh-filled evening at the Delacorte. I truly had fun. But I was hoping to see Twelfth Night, not Twelfth Night Lite.

Wendy Caster

The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir (book review)

Kelly Bishop writing a memoir--doesn't that sound exciting? The stories she must have! The gossip! The attitude!

Nah. The Third Gilmore Girl is a short, polite, mildly interesting  book. She covers A Chorus Line and The Gilmore Girls fairly comprehensively, but that's really all she focuses on workwise. She spends barely a page on Bunheads! Many gigs go by with barely a mention.

Here are my takeaways: More of A Chorus Line is based on Bishop's life than I realized. She loved being on The Gilmore Girls and was terribly sad when Edward Herrman died. She's very close with Priscilla Lopez. Throughout her life she has had a fiery desire to work, and she only wants money she earns herself. Her husband was ill for much of their marriage and they were often separated due to her work, but they were very happy together. 

I love autobiographies that provide a 3D sense of the writer. I love feeling that you've almost hung out together. (See, for example, Chita Rivera's autobiography.) To the teeny tiny extent that The Third Girlmore Girl gives a sense of hanging out with Bishop, it is clear that she'd rather be somewhere else.

Wendy Caster