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Theater Review: 'Asuncion' Off-Broadway

Katie Buenneke |
December 4, 2011 | 12:46 p.m. PST

Theater Editor

 

 Sandra Coudert)
Sandra Coudert)
Jesse Eisenberg on LSD: now there's a scenario most people would have more than a little difficulty imagining. Eisenberg is perhaps best known for his Oscar-nominated portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Network," and for his collection of "-land" movies (namely, "Adventureland" and "Zombieland"). Due to his choice in characters and his persona in interviews (read Neon Tommy's interview with Eisenberg here), he seems to be a slightly neurotic, if lovable nerd. It certainly wouldn't be surprising to hear Eisenberg was voted "Least Likely to Drop Acid" by his senior class (disclaimer: the veracity of this title is unknown) (also: hopefully there are no high schools where unlikeliness to do drugs is a superlative). However, the aforementioned scenario is one that comes to life in "Asuncion," now playing at the Cherry Lane Theatre off-Broadway in New York.

Eisenberg wrote the script, which stars himself (as, surprise, a quirky, neurotic man-child), Justin Bartha ("The Hangover," the "National Treasure" movies), Camille Mana, and Remy Auberjonois.

Eisenberg is Edgar, a young man with good intentions but commitment issues (and not in a marital sense). Bartha plays Vinny, Edgar's roommate/landlord/former professor (well, more specifically, Vinny was his TA three years ago). They live a dysfunctional life together, until Edgar's brother, Stuart (Auberjonois), bursts onto the scene and tells them that his new wife, Asuncion (Mana), will be staying with them for the weekend for some vague reason.

Little is known about Asuncion other than that she comes from the Philippines, which are close to Cambodia, a locale Edgar has visited, and is willing to tell any and everyone about — repeatedly. Vinny provokes Edgar, who is a floundering journalist-cum-blogger, to write an exposé on the sex slave/mail-order bride who is clearly inhabiting their apartment. Edgar begins his detailed study of his subject, the title character, who is a bubbly, friendly, naive individual with an interesting, if unexplored past.

The play is quite thought-provoking. While Eisenberg's Edgar is not immediately relatable, as the play progresses, it becomes apparent that his quirks are more severe manifestations of the same quirks most people have. Oddly enough, Eisenberg's script serves him most poorly out of the cast — the rest of the ensemble's words are completely natural and logical coming from their mouths, but occasionally, when Edgar speaks, his lines seem out of place.

However, Eisenberg, whose existence seems to be entirely composed of nerves, bones, and nothing else, is strong, with his tension and gesticulation and quirks amplified even more than usual (though maybe this has to do with the personal quality to the play — the stage is, at most, 200 feet away from the audience, so every tic is incredibly apparent), but not so much so as to seem unrealistic.

Bartha is entertaining as the smarmy intellectual (Vinny has an MA in African Studies). It should be noted that almost everyone in the play is racist in their own way (except for Stuart — the audience doesn't get to see enough of him to find out one way or another). The racism is rarely overt, but it is still somehow ingrained in everyone, which is a rather terrifying thought. While "Avenue Q" gladly proclaims "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist," "Asuncion" shows the negative consequences of even just a little bit of racism — or more than that, the negative consequences of making assumptions based on racism.

Perhaps the greatest strength of "Asuncion" is the reality of the characters. They are all fully realized, both by Eisenberg's script and each of the incredibly capable actors. Mana is almost impossibly adorable as the title character, but not so much as to become a caricature; doesn't everyone know a perennially peppy person? But Asuncion is more than that. Below her cheerful cover, one gets the sense that there's a much darker side to her personality. Vinny is a man who, ironically enough, only seems to exist in a world of ambiguities and ultimatums. Bartha, too, brings some sense to the conundrum of his character. Auberjonois, in his limited time onstage, also brings a real person to the stage.

The set by John McDermott is, delightfully, simultaneously claustrophobic and too large, and the lighting, by Ben Stanton, does some interesting things. The sound design by Bart Fassbender is also noteworthy, adeptly switching between sound sources visible onstage and the theater's amplification system. The Cherry Lane Theatre is a very intimate space (about 200 seats), so every little detail is crucial.

It's interesting to see where "Asuncion" lies in terms of the American theatrical landscape. It seems like the majority of off-Broadway is home to tourist-lurers (a la "Stomp!" and "The Blue Man Group") or shows on their way to (e.g. "In the Heights," "Lysistrata Jones" or from  (e.g. "Rent," "Avenue Q,") Broadway. Asuncion is part of that unfortunately rare group of off-Broadway shows that hearkens back to what "off-Broadway" used to be — a learning forum for new playwrights to grow and develop their work. While "Asuncion" could certainly use some polishing (especially in the switch from the first act to the second) and features a well-known star (which, also unfortunately, seems to be requisite for successfully staging any new work on Broadway), it's hard to imagine it on Broadway. So far, Eisenberg's only plans for the future of "Asuncion" (which runs at the Cherry Lane Theatre through December 18) are to take it to the Philippines and stage it there. It will be interesting to see what comes next from Eisenberg.

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