Filling in the gaps 08/07/2013 - 11:30pm

Private School - U of M Rarig Center Thrust Or, in which i get really upset More info This review may be unpopular, but here goes. I had high hopes for this show and after perusing the bios in the program, I was fairly impressed. What a great venue for such an important set of issues (maybe?) and a solid set of reviews online. Lights out. Neon Trees’ “Everybody Talks” blares. Savvy choice, well done, sir. The acting on this production was very solid--even excellent. The leads all seemed strong, focused, practiced, and honest. In particular, Amy Stockhaus and Keilly McQuail are excellent. Much of the writing is sharp and funny. Dylan Lamb attempts to recreate private high school and the insidious impact of words and insincere relationships that fuel bullying. In this area, he mostly succeeds. But here is my huge pet peeve--and this is basically a spoiler, so if that irks you, skip: Even if I appreciate the point the production is trying to make, what are the implications of creating and presenting a character struggling with a trans identity that appears the product of a father’s recent imprisonment? Doesn’t that inaccurately limit and trivialize people struggling with gender identity by collapsing their experiences with traumatic events or dysfunctional families? There was no acknowledgement that this was, perhaps, the story of one person’s struggle in identifying as a man while presenting initially as a woman. Perhaps this event was merely the trauma that revealed something deeper. Rather, the audience received a bizarre confession in the bathroom almost at the end of the show that seems forced. Are we then just products of our environments? The 'dysfunctional outcasts' stem from other 'dysfunctional outcasts'? Anything wrong with that? While this show was a more imaginative and nuanced presentation of high school stereotypes, the proportion of showcased voices in this show was decidedly skewed. In my opinion, this show--which I can only imagine was intended to explore and defend the trans identity--instead essentially silenced the trans voice. Most of the airtime belongs to the ‘mean popular girl’ (again, expertly handled by Amy Stockhaus) and the ‘well-meaning popular girl’ (Pegeen Lamb). Other than a few rushed lines near the end of the show, there was not a big effort to redeem or personalize Stockhaus’ Selma and Lamb’s Ester never really found her direction. Nick Lehane’s Jack earned a bit of relatability, but he too subscribes to the posse of J. Crew-sporting, Dockers-endorsing, Lacoste-boasting demographic that is ‘just misunderstood.’ Where was the real effort to support and develop the timid silenced voice at the heart of this show? With an audience like this one at the Fringe, I wanted more honesty. Were trans people asked to read or see or comment on the script? Shouldn't they have been? I felt uncomfortable, confused, and wholly split. Again, the show was technically great; but the presentation of the trans identity here was truly troubling. Did I feel like the trans character was equipped to walk this path? No. Was there any effort to change gender pronouns or offer a new name or referential term to 'Rachel' after this revelation? No. I will personally never understand fully the visceral betrayal trans-people typically describe, but I thought neither did this show. Also, an interesting note: my friend and I were by far the closest age-wise in this audience to these high-school characters. (Four people of color in this audience, for those curious.) And the audience largely laughed very knowingly and consistently at many jokes and words I found, at times, unremarkable. Perhaps revisiting high school for those further from the experience garners some nostalgia that has not yet afflicted some. And hey, maybe that's okay. Maybe high school is ultimately doing the best with the script handed to you--and that is what these actors did.