Couple of remarks about my 3 nights in NYC,
On Sunday night: The first evening right after we arrived from Minneapolis I spent in a theater. Following the NYT choice I bough a ticket for “Breakfasts with Mugabee” play.
The title of the show lured me more that NYT recommendation. It was chamber Drama Theater reminded me a lot off-off- Broadway show. Very closed to me and right front of my eyes the horrific story about intricate and ill inner world of African dictator was told in dead silence. http://www.breakfastwithmugabe.com
Zimbabwe 2001, right before the President election campaign Mugabee required psychologist to talk. A white Zimbabwean psychiatrist originally British came over to the State House in Harare to understand a reason of panic attacks and blood-stained fears of President. The meeting with doctor turned into a big tragedy. The story revealed different colors of consciousness of the dictator, many cultural political moral details. The brochure of “Breakfast with Mugabee” consists special list of Culturally Specific Terms, which prepares audience to the story and moves the audience to different unknown bias-based and inequality world.
On Monday night:
Somewhere in Chelsea, between “Red Cat” and “Drunk Horse” bars I met Pavel Khodorkovsky – eldest son of former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, head of Yokos company.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky has been in prison in Russia since 2003, 10 years. Pavel met his father exactly 10 years ego last time, it happened here in the States, Mikhail came to Boston to check how his 18 years old son settled up his life in campus. From Boston Khodorkovsky flew to D.C. Since that day in September 2003 they haven’t met each other. I was going to talk about those 10 years, about their gain experience. It was great meeting.
On Tuesday night: Again I found myself in Africa.
I tried to find a ticket to “Book of Marmon’s” in last year, unsuccessfully. This time I bought the ticket one month before performance day. This day happened.
It was hysterical extremely hilarious musical. Hysterical and hilarious – are two words, which are precisely suitable to this show.
MUST WATCH!!! http://www.bookofmormonbroadway.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKkLV1zE8M0 Two yang very enthusiastic guys who are Mormon missioners from Salt Lake City, Utah travel from their home to wild village in Uganda, Africa to convert local people to Mormons. This story is very sharp religious satire, and not just religious, this story ruins social biases. I saw no one spare seat at the theater, I saw people who came over to NYC just to watch this show, I don’t remember when last time and where I was a witness of a theater literally was exploded of laugh. People were laughing with out breaks, some of them couldn’t seat on their chair. Some times I laid down my head to my knees. I was thinking how this show could influent to the audience’s perception of Mr Romney during Presidential Election campaign. Right before show started three ladies had set next to me. One of them immediately started conversation: “We are from Utah, Where are you from? Oh, your country is free again! Why are you here? We are from Utah, its clear why we are here, but what about you? Our state is very red, but (she whispered) we are a little bit liberal”. Good for her! I can say that I couldn’t imagine this extremely high degree of satire in Broadway, I think this method of building the story and creating satire is pretty similar with Sasha Baron Cohen’s movies. I got the same feeling which I remember I had gotten after Cohen’s movies, it’s mix of laugh and embarrassing. It was two hours and the half without prejudice and political correctness.
