By: Sandi Durell
It’s all about the clothes, the colors, the vacations, waxing – you have to be a desirable demographic!
Mallery Avidon, the playwright, in this new production by The Bats at the Flea Theater, really makes a case for how this generation is manipulated by the media, celebrities and, in a great sense, is lost!
The celebrity Olsen twins pay a visit into Grace’s mind. Grace (Katherine Folk-Sullivan) is a married 27 year old (the description “going on dead”) who is undergoing disillusionment about her life, her job, her marriage as her husband Tyler (Alex Grubbs), spends every waking hour glued to a TV screen playing video war games, having lost his job 4 years back. She is lonely.
When Mary-Kate (Christine Lee) and her twin Ashley (Kana Hatakeyama) sandwich Grace between them and sing-song their media-driven nonsense into her ears – it’s more important to be hot than smart, you can be a virgin and a slut at the same time and lots of sex talk, Grace begins to think she may be missing something.
In the midst of the twins chattering away at Grace, there are several young girls who appear to talk about their dreams and expectations in life. For Tyler, it’s a soldier (Alex Mandell) from the video game who comes alive to literally knock some sense into him – “handle the emasculation.”
What ensues is a brief lesbian affair as Grace leaves Tyler for Mary-Kate who decides to give up her celebrity and take Grace to New Zealand where they can imbibe those liquids with umbrellas sticking out, kiss and romp on the beach as Ashley reminds Kate she must come back for Fashion week!
The other “amazing girls” in the cast include: Crystal Arnette, Rachel Lin, Elizabeth May, Vicki Rodriguez, Bonnie White.
The Olsen Twins are witty and amusing to watch and there are good performances by all and lessons, yes, many to be learned, especially if you’re young and impressionable.
Life isn’t always what you want or dream, but at least make sure that what you want isn’t being pounded into your head by some TV commercial or celebrity. Truth: to be loved and accepted for who and what we are – not manipulated by the forces that plague every waking hour – advertisers and celebrities selling the labels on our tushes and more; all telling us how to behave, what to think, feel, be – this is not real. Feeling and wanting is!
Directed by Kristan Seemel thru Dec. 8th at TheFlea.org
*Photos: Hunter Canning
212 352-3101
