I went to see it because I am attracted to Jesse Eisenberg, but I knew nothing about the plot. I like Jesse’s acting and I like his writing (McSweeney’s) and I thought it’d be cool to see him act in something he’d written, live in front of my face.
Turns out, the play was very good! If you liked the dynamic between Justin Bartha and Jesse in Holy Rollers, you will like this. Or if you just like the idea of Justin Bartha shoving Jesse’s head at his dick in red American Apparel tighty-whiteys while on LSD, you will like this also. Or if you like the fact that Jesse’s character calls sucking Justin’s character’s dick “nice like if we shook hands for a really long time,” then you will like this play.
I would watch the two of them act alongside each other in pretty much anything so I was very entertained. The script was seeping in Woody Allen’s influence (in terms of how people acted and spoke, but also the complexity of the relationships) but that’s not a bad thing at all considering I love Manhattan and Hannah and her Sisters.
Jesse’s character is totally exhausting and bananas, and he talks with his hands and in this way that is so specific and intense — maybe because it’s at a small theater so you really feel like you’re in the apartment with the characters. He is hard to watch sometimes. Because of his dynamic with Justin Bartha, the people I saw it with thought Jesse’s character was gay, but that Justin’s wasn’t. I thought they both were. My boyfriend thought neither of them were.
Things I learned:
Camille Mana, who plays the title character, is adorable.
Loving Jesse Eisenberg probably means I would have been into Woody Allen if I was a twenty-something in the 70s.
Justin Bartha is hilarious. The Hangover is stupid for not having more of him.
I wish I could write a play. (I have books on how to do it and I’ve written sketch shows and spec scripts, I just have never tried to write a whole play before.)
In all, I give Asuncion four out of four Jesse Eisenbergs! (This is how I rate most things, based on how many Jesse Eisenbergs it gets. This bagel I’m eating, for instance, only gets 2 1/2 Jesse Eisenbergs.)
We didn’t stay afterwards to meet them or anything because 1) it seemed like a bunch of high school girls were waiting (the play was pretty sexual and dark at times so it got me thinking about why plays don’t have a rating system like movies do) and 2) I always feel weird meeting people in “fan” situations. I’d just rather enjoy them from afar.
If you’re in NYC before November 27, go see it! We did student rush and got tickets for a discount right before the show. Worth it!
Edit: Oh, jk, it’s extended until December 18, so there you go. Also, I see everyone in the world stays after and takes a photo with him. Hmmmm. Maybe I should go again?
16 Rider Requests, If I Were A Famous Musician
I wrote again for Thought Catalog. I am a crazy person.
