Underground Railroad Game @ Ars Nova

[wolfwriter]

Posted: 6/2/19 at 10:45am

Surprised I couldn't find a past thread for this show. I didn't have the chance to catch this in 2016 so I was glad it returned. I should be careful what I wish for. This vulgar, superficial 75-minute slog was infuriating and maddening, but not in the way the creators intended, I'm sure.

How this ended up on so many "best" lists boggles the mind, except that the unchallenged, theatrical echo-chamber, presents another play about race, to predominately White audiences (and critics) who trot off to their lovely homes, trendy restaurants and bars, safe in the knowledge that, by watching a play, they've done something meaningful for race relations in America. They're "thoughtful." They "care."

Volitional close-mindedness prevents them from recognizing that they're perpetuating what they claim to want to "fix."

This show is so intent on being edgy, over-the-top & shocking, that it descends into a narcissistic journey of self-congratulatory posturing, with the creators/actors feeling they've done something meaningful that allows the audience to "care." They've accomplished exactly what they set out to criticize.

The whole exercise, based on the real experiences of teaching 5th graders about the Underground Railroad, is fake, condescending and superficial, even when looked at from the POV of a 5th grader. The idea of how we sugarcoat the teaching of unpleasant history is an interesting conceit and one that demands a more thoughtful presentation.

One early exchange that rang true, made me think I was in for something truly meaningful and thoughtful. "What are we doing?" 

"We're moving history forward. We're making progress."

"Those are not the same thing."

That's an interesting exchange that made me think something more deeply profound was forthcoming. It was not. I realize this was supposed to be a class of 5th graders, but the audience is not a class of 5th graders. How they would remedy the condescension, I'm not sure.

The nudity and sex are often gratuitous, despite knowing what they were going for. Some is played for sketch-comedy laughs despite not being funny. Humiliation is not funny, although the audience seemed to think it was uproarious. Maybe my personal history prevents me from seeing the humiliation of others as ever being funny.

The audience laughed a bit too much and a bit too loudly at this show. It's really not funny, at least not in an expected way. My companion was as bothered as I was at the amount of laughter, as though this was UCB sketch and not a play trying to address a serious issue.

The actors are game and with better material could be quite effective.

This is my most hated show of the year and of recent memory, which is doubly disappointing because i was so looking froward to it.

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 6/2/19 at 12:37pm

Twolfwriter said: "The whole exercise, based on the real experiences of teaching 5thgraders about the Underground Railroad, is fake, condescending andsuperficial, even when looked at from the POV of a 5th grader."

While I haven’t seen the show yet, I grew up in the same town as one of the creators and attended the same middle school and high school (we overlapped years a bit). I can confirm this is a real exercise that used to be taught. 

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 6/2/19 at 1:30pm

wolfwriter said: "Surprised I couldn't find a past thread for this show. I didn't have the chance to catch this in 2016 so I was glad it returned. I should be careful what I wish for. This vulgar, superficial 75-minute slog was infuriating and maddening, but not in the way the creators intended, I'm sure.

How this ended up on so many "best" lists boggles themind, except that the unchallenged, theatrical echo-chamber,presents another playabout race, to predominatelyWhite audiences (and critics)who trot off to their lovelyhomes,trendy restaurants and bars, safe in the knowledge that, by watching a play,they've done something meaningful for race relations in America. They're "thoughtful." They "care."

Volitional close-mindednessprevents them from recognizing that they're perpetuating what they claim to want to "fix."

This show is so intent on being edgy, over-the-top & shocking, that itdescends into a narcissistic journey ofself-congratulatory posturing, with the creators/actors feeling they've done something meaningful that allowsthe audience to "care." They've accomplished exactly what they set out to criticize.

The whole exercise, based on the real experiences of teaching 5thgraders about the Underground Railroad, is fake, condescending andsuperficial, even when looked at from the POV of a 5th grader. The idea ofhow we sugarcoat the teaching of unpleasant history is an interesting conceit and one that demandsa more thoughtful presentation.

One early exchangethat rang true, made me think I was in for something truly meaningful and thoughtful. "What are we doing?"

"We're moving history forward. We're making progress."

"Those are not the same thing."

That's an interesting exchange that made me think something more deeply profound was forthcoming. It was not. I realize this was supposed to be a class of 5th graders, but the audience isnot a class of 5th graders. How they would remedy the condescension, I'm not sure.

The nudity and sex are often gratuitous, despite knowing what they were going for. Some is played for sketch-comedy laughs despite not being funny. Humiliation is not funny, although the audience seemed to think it was uproarious. Maybe my personal history prevents me from seeing the humiliation of others as ever being funny.

The audience laughed a bit too much and a bit too loudly at this show. It's really not funny, at least not in an expected way. My companion was as bothered as I was at the amount of laughter, as though this was UCB sketch and not a play trying to address a serious issue.

The actors are game and with better material could be quite effective.

This is my most hated show of the year and of recent memory, which is doubly disappointing because i was so looking froward to it."

sir, this is a wendys.

[jbird5]

Posted: 6/2/19 at 2:00pm

Definitely a wtf moment for me. Where’s the dramaturg? What does two people f_______ on stage have to do with the Underground Railroad? Does this man still have his teacher’s license? Still I have to give them an “A” for effort. NYC theater is getting too safe and boring. This makes Slave Play look PG13. Edginess is being imported from Philadelphia of all places.

I recently attended Jenn Kidwell’s latest, A Hard Time which is even more of an unfocused raunchiest. It’s semi-Immersive and she came into the audience wearing just a leather thong and started giving me instructions. It added a little spice to the humiliation scene for me. Maybe she has enough juice now to bring this show to NYC.

OBTW - Wouldn’t Jenn be a great Gary Coleman? RIP Avenue Q.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 6/2/19 at 2:32pm

LightsOut90 said: "wolfwriter said: "Surprised I couldn't find a past thread for this show. I didn't have the chance to catch this in 2016 so I was glad it returned. I should be careful what I wish for. This vulgar, superficial 75-minute slog was infuriating and maddening, but not in the way the creators intended, I'm sure.

How this ended up on so many "best" lists boggles themind, except that the unchallenged, theatrical echo-chamber,presents another playabout race, to predominatelyWhite audiences (and critics)who trot off to their lovelyhomes,trendy restaurants and bars, safe in the knowledge that, by watching a play,they've done something meaningful for race relations in America. They're "thoughtful." They "care."

Volitional close-mindednessprevents them from recognizing that they're perpetuating what they claim to want to "fix."

This show is so intent on being edgy, over-the-top & shocking, that itdescends into a narcissistic journey ofself-congratulatory posturing, with the creators/actors feeling they've done something meaningful that allowsthe audience to "care." They've accomplished exactly what they set out to criticize.

The whole exercise, based on the real experiences of teaching 5thgraders about the Underground Railroad, is fake, condescending andsuperficial, even when looked at from the POV of a 5th grader. The idea ofhow we sugarcoat the teaching of unpleasant history is an interesting conceit and one that demandsa more thoughtful presentation.

One early exchangethat rang true, made me think I was in for something truly meaningful and thoughtful. "What are we doing?"

"We're moving history forward. We're making progress."

"Those are not the same thing."

That's an interesting exchange that made me think something more deeply profound was forthcoming. It was not. I realize this was supposed to be a class of 5th graders, but the audience isnot a class of 5th graders. How they would remedy the condescension, I'm not sure.

The nudity and sex are often gratuitous, despite knowing what they were going for. Some is played for sketch-comedy laughs despite not being funny. Humiliation is not funny, although the audience seemed to think it was uproarious. Maybe my personal history prevents me from seeing the humiliation of others as ever being funny.

The audience laughed a bit too much and a bit too loudly at this show. It's really not funny, at least not in an expected way. My companion was as bothered as I was at the amount of laughter, as though this was UCB sketch and not a play trying to address a serious issue.

The actors are game and with better material could be quite effective.

This is my most hated show of the year and of recent memory, which is doubly disappointing because i was so looking froward to it."

sir, this is a wendys."

No, this is Patrick

[wolfwriter]

Posted: 6/2/19 at 2:58pm

LightsOut90 said: sir, this is a wendys."

You obviously would find this a scream. Thanks for elevating the conversation.