We meet young Ned Stark (Robert Aramayo) in a flashback scene!
WHO broke an oath (as mentioned in the title)?
Ned – Hmmm… this is debateable. Ned fudged on the REAL story of what happened at the Tower of Joy; he said that HE defeated the Knight of the Morning- Ser Arthur Dayne (Luke Roberts) in combat BUT it was actually Howland Reed (one of the Crannogmen; father of Jojen and Meera) who stabbed Dayne in the back. Now we know exactly WHY Ned held Howland in such high regard. Aramayo’s accent was spot-on, as was the way he moved while sword fighting, and walking- making him a quite convincing Ned!
Smalljon Umber – Yes, he broke his oath to the Starks, the family that the Umbers had been allied w/ for generations. The actor (Dean S. Jagger) did a good job w/ this role!
Jon – FINALLY, he is leaving Castle Black. He is free to try to take back Winterfell- YAY! Since he died, then maybe he didn’t break his oath to the Night’s Watch as some podcasters/viewers/critics said)?
Memorable Lines
Nothing. -Jon replies when Melisandre asks what he saw after he died.
I know that [Jon is not a god]. I saw your pecker. What kind of god would have a pecker that small? -Tormund jokes before he embraces Jon
You are the not the queen because you are not married to the king. Though I realize that such things can get confusing in your family. -Lady Olenna throws some shade on Cersei during the Small Council meeting
Her love for you is more real than anything else in this world, because it doesn’t come from this world. -The High Sparrow explains to Tommen
Your father was a c*nt. –Smalljon Umber concludes re: Roose to Ramsay
I’ve brought you a gift. -Umber says to Roose before Osha and Rickon are brought out, along w/ the head of Shaggydog (Rickon’s direwolf)
My watch is ended. -Jon said after giving the black fur cloak (worn by the Lord Commander) to Edd
Ayad Akhtar has composed an exacting tale for our turbulent times. His script demands that I bring forth the lyricism of a clarifying order from the chaos of cultural misunderstanding that is the woven fabric of this remarkable play, while being ever vigilant in spotlighting genuine insight into the complexity of perception in what it is to be Muslim and American. –Timothy Douglas, director (Arena Stage)
As my regular readers know, I’ve written about this play before; I heard about it nearly 2 yrs ago, then read the play. I had NEVER read anything like it before! One of my NYC gal pals went to see it during its Broadway run in 2014 (wow, was I jealous of her then)! On SUN, May 1st, I went to see the new production at Arena Stage (w/ one of my gal pals).
Synopsis
Amir Kapoor, a Pakistani-American, is a successful lawyer living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan w/ his beautiful/blonde artist wife (Emily). With the hope of becoming a partner at the firm around the corner, it seems like nothing can stop him. But when he hosts a dinner party for an African-American co-worker/friend (Jory) and her Jewish husband (Isaac), the conversation quickly turns to everything Amir has spent his adult life trying to suppress (race, religion, etc.) All these characters, as well as Abe/Hussein (Amir’s college-going nephew), are confronted with the struggle between culture and identity. Below is a trailer for the show:
Review & Analysis
SPOILERS: Don’t read from this point if you don’t want to know details from Disgraced.
Portrait of Juan de Pareja (1606-1670) by his master, Diego Velazquez
After a waiter is incredibly rude to her husband (offstage), Emily (who has been focusing recently on Islamic art) decides to paint a portrait of Amir, inspired by the one of Juan de Pareja. (FYI: He was a Spanish painter of Moorish descent, born into slavery. He was a member of the household of painter Diego Velázquez who freed him in 1650.) Amir doesn’t understand why she’s making such a big deal, but she comments:”He didn’t SEE you!” That waiter didn’t realize what a success Amir was- he just saw his brown skin.
The couple are interrupted by the son of Amir’s older sister, Abe Jensen (who has recently changed his name from Hussein Malik); this is a source of humor for Amir. The young man, who was born in Pakistan, has come to plead w/ his uncle re: representing an imam (“a harmless old man who didn’t do anything wrong.”) This man is in FBI custody accused to raising funds for Hamas- Amir wants nothing to do w/ it (besides, there are two OTHER lawyers on the case). When Amir pointedly comments that the imam is “not comfortable w/ Jewish lawyers,” Abe insists that’s not the issue (the imam liked Amir when they met before). Emily says: “Just TALK to him!” (She is the one who advocates for Abe, when Amir ignores his phone calls in the story.) Amir’s eventual decision to appear in court, beside the other lawyers, will have repercussions on his career.
Emily excitedly shows her painting (reminiscent of tile work found in Andalucía from the Moorish period) to a curator from The Whitney, Isaac (who is married to Amir’s co-worker, Johri). This painting, white and blue w/ a hint of red, is hung on the mantle of the apartment’s living room (the sole set for this play).
The crux of the action occurs a few months after during the dinner party. Amir is already in a terrible mood (Emily doesn’t realize why) and drinking more than usual (Scotch) when the guests arrive earlier than expected. Emily has made appetizers, fennel salad and pork tenderloin. She wants to make a good impression b/c she wants to be in a new show which Isaac is putting on at his museum.
WE are the new Jews! -Amir explains to Johri
Jory and Amir drink and talk re: work- one of the partners (Mort) has been away for SOME time, traveling, and meditating. There will soon be a new partner, BUT Amir doubts that it will be he or Jory. Hey, why don’t they start their OWN firm!? (We get a little background on how WASP lawyers didn’t want to deal w/ mergers and acquisitions in the past.)
More drinking, more jokes- this humor here is biting, dark, controversial- perhaps even to the MOST open-minded viewer/reader. (This was inspired by a dinner party that Akthar had back in 2006.) Eventually, all hell breaks loose- these civilized folks are ALL revealed to be dysfunctional, duplicitous, and (no shocker) prejudiced! But Amir is the tragic figure- he loses the MOST in the end. In my opinion, when he strikes Emily, he is NOT only hitting his wife (who is most close to him, yet cheated w/ Isaac), BUT also hitting back at the symbol of white/upper-class patriarchy (though she is female). There is NO excuse for domestic violence, BUT it does happen (even among very cultured/intelligent couples).
I was skeptical when I heard Nehal Joshi was going to play the lead. He just did not look old enough, first of all. Secondly, I’d seen him last year as Sancho in Man of La Mancha (STC); he did a good job w/ the comedy, singing, and dancing. Lastly, the words that I’d read didn’t make much of an impact from ANY of the actors (aside from the actress who played Jory). One young lady, who had ALSO read the play and attended the same night as I did, tweeted that she “hated it” (but liked the story). I wouldn’t go THAT far- these actors need to get more comfortable w/ the text and project that confidence onstage (in future).
The audience was (as usual) quite elderly, liberal, and white (esp. in the orchestra section where we were sitting). I spotted a few desis (South Asians) here and there, along w/ some African-Americans (mainly women). The Q&A session after the play (w/ a local imam working on his Ph.D.) was fun and informative; he is associated w/ Georgetown University. He came to the play w/ his four teen kids; they sat very quietly in the same row as me and my friend. (This material isn’t geared to their age group, but the themes are relevant.) I think this play is worth reading, BUT I can’t recommend this production. No fear, there are MANY theaters (around the US) that will be putting on Disgraced this season.
Johnson had civil rights. And voting rights. And Medicare. And a Constitutional Amendment which eliminated the poll tax, a device white politicians used to keep poor blacks out of the voting booth. And a Constitutional Amendment which provided a means to fill the Vice-Presidency, something we needed a scant five years after he left office. And the war on poverty. Incidentally, he appointed the first African-American Supreme Court Justice.
He was, first of all, rude, earthy, blunt and to the point, which is to say he was an American.
-Tim Treanor (DC Theater Scene.com)
All civil rights leaders (you read about as a kid) did NOT agree w/ what tactics to use!
All the Way by Robert Schenkkan won the Tony, Drama Desk, among other awards. It also broke Broadway box office records in 2015. The playwright is currently adapting this play as a feature film for HBO (produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Bryan Cranston). Robert’s previous Broadway experience was the Pulitzer Prize-winning epic The Kentucky Cycle (a series of plays which my mom and I saw MANY years ago at U of A).
The play tacks a ton of dialogue into the one hundred sixty minutes traffic of its stage… and to complicate things further the story is told in short scenes, necessitating the rapid movement of actors and scenery on stage and off. This director Kyle Donnelly accomplishes with military efficiency, but sometimes the actors seem like they are declaiming, rather than in the moment (an occupational hazard, perhaps, in a play with so many speeches). -Tim Treanor (DC Theater Scene.com)
The play peers at the leadership of Dr. King as he struggles to keep his own movement intact. Stokely Carmichael and SNCC head Bob Moses clamor to take to the streets, while conservatives like NAACP head Roy Wilkins and Rev. Ralph David Abernathy prefer a slower approach. This for me was the MOST interesting part of the story. This was NOT only an educational play, it was VERY funny!
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center (8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910) will be hosting the 12th annual New African Film Festival, showcasing African films from ALL corners of the continent. Below is info re: the 2 films that I’m MOST interested in seeing. (FYI: Opening Night films usually sell out quickly, so try to get tickets early!) I may have to go see it SUN.
Friday, March 11 – Opening Night/Reception (7:15 PM) & Sunday, March 13 (4:45 PM)
Yared Zeleke’s remarkable feature debut tells the story of young Ephraim, a half-Jewish Ethiopian boy who is sent by his father to live among distant relatives after his mother’s death. Ephraim uses his cooking skills to carve out a place among his cousins, but when his uncle decides that his beloved sheep must be sacrificed for the next religious feast, he will do anything to save the animal and return home.
Saturday, March 12 (7:15 PM) & Wednesday, March 16 (7:15 PM)
A recovering addict, Teddy drives his cab across the sprawling Addis Ababa, in the hopes of making an honest living. But when Teddy picks up the beautiful prostitute Fere, just as she’s escaping an abusive john, he’s thrust back into the world of trouble he tried to escape. After an act of retribution, which leaves Teddy’s cab stolen, he joins forces with Fere in the hopes of saving both their lives. As romance blossoms between the two outsiders, they learn the hard way that love comes with a price.
Ayad discusses Disgraced (on Broadway), Aasif Mandvi, etc. w/ NYC theater critics. This convo goes from the 2:00 min mark until 17:10.
This is a lengthy, yet V interesting vid! Ayad is in convo w/ a Lebanese writer (Rabih Almeddine- never heard of him before) while Indian writer (Amitava Kumar) serves as moderator. There is a smart/funny Q&A section w/ interesting points made by BOTH the audience & writers!
Aasif played Amir in Disgraced at Lincoln Center Theater. Josh played Isaac on Broadway (opposite Hari Dhillon). These guys are ALL friends- pretty cool!
WARNING: This next 2 videos contain SPOILERS for Disgraced.
Another long, yet very recent, interview (January 14, 2016)- it includes the meaning of the title, which is explained by Abe, the young nephew of Amir (who has “legitimate historical anger,” as Akthar comments in the vid).
For 300 years, they’ve come to out part of the world, made- drawn new borders, taken our land, made us want to be like them, look like them, and marry their women. They disgraced us. They disgraced us. Then they pretend they don’t understand the rage we’ve got.
Knightleyemma 