This review is available online at:
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/events/theatre/the-elaborate-entrance-of-chad-deity-second-stage-theatre
THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY
Kristoffer Diaz's play, a finalist for this year's Pulitzer Prize, uses the slam-bam world of pro wrestling as a metaphor for American xenophobia. Macedonio Guerra (the kinetic Desmin Borges), a.k.a. the Mace, is a legitimately skilled wrestler, which means that his job is to make the other guy look good. Opportunistically, he engineers the rise of Vigneshwar Paduar (Usman Ally), who, in bin Ladin garb, becomes the Fundamentalist. So what if Vigneshwar is Indian? Since he's able to whip the crowd into a jingoist frenzy, he's the perfect foil for the all-American Chad Deity (Terence Archie). With a verbal force that rivals Chad's signature move, the Powerbomb, Diaz refracts the might and fright of Fox News culture. Our racial politics, he cunningly suggests, are as loud and phony as the show business of the ring.
Previews begin April 27, opens May 20, closes June 20Second Stage Theatre
307 W. 43rd St., New York , N.Y.
212-246-4422
2ST.com
