'The Indian' is not quite sure what it wants to be

By H. Frederick Tang

Patrick McGarvey/YH One of these kids definitely wants the Bronx

The premise of the show is not new--bored youth seeks violence in order to relieve boredom. Many shows have done it before. Remember Fun at the Cabaret last year? Unfortunately, The Indian Wants the Bronx lacks the gimmick, or twist, that makes variations on a theme interesting. One would expect the issue to be the Indian. There is ample room to deal with issues of race, immigrant-bashing, or American nationalism (even the posters advertising the show display a recognition of these topics). But the script offers only constant jokes about elephants and painful puns confusing Indians with Native Americans and people from Indiana. Rather than take a stand on the issue or even present a multi-faceted racial situation, the show relies on the emotion of the punks and the irrationality of their violence as the motivation for the production. This could work if there was more of a progression--some texture to show the contrast. Instead, we are faced with constant rage and noise practically from start to finish. Although this makes Indian interesting to watch, the show is stagnant and the scenes suffer a homogeneity akin to that of Waiting for Godot.

The production, directed by Pavlina Hatoupis, SY '00, relies heavily on the physicality of the roles, and it is here that the cast excels. Jeremy Strong, TC '01, and Sean Collins, CC '00, as Murph and Joey, are convincing as violent youths. Their movements are strong and they clearly understand their roles, however stereotyped they are. It is clear that both actors have broad range. Unfortunately, their talents were not fully exploited. Although the characters clearly have different personalities, their roles could have benefitted from further distinction. Collins is the luckier of the two as his role has more depth. During the show's best moments, he shows regret, a sense of conscience, and a realization of the consequences of his actions. His character no longer seems one-sided, and as a result of this added ambiguity we begin to like him despite his actions.

Strong has a more difficult role: he plays the bumbling half-wit, so there is less opportunity for depth. But there are some wonderful scenes of Murph and Joey together where power shifts back and forth and the roles of leader/sidekick flip-flop between the two. In addition, Rene Brar, ES '99, gives a physically strong performance as the Indian. He makes for a good (if stereotypical) meek and passive immigrant scared by a foreign land. But again, his character is one-sided. He is almost always passive; we rarely see much of a personality emerge. Thus it is hard to become attached to his character. The acting of all three cast members is strong, and it is unclear whether the weak character development is a fault of the script or of the direction.

The sets, designed by Jason Hughes, BR '98, and Toby Spellman, are surprisingly successful given their starkness and simplicity. The same goes for the lighting by Julian Hardman, BR '98, and Spellman--although the flashing lights, which I assume were intended to simulate passing cars or urban lights, often felt more like slips of the light board op than intentional cues.

What the audience is supposed to understand from this production remains unresolved. Is it a demonstration of urban violence stemming from dysfunctional families? There are scenes clearly alluding to the lack of parental guidance. There is a hilarious mention of social workers giving Murph and Joey knives "to whittle with." Or is it about American intolerance of immigrants and the occurrence of hate crimes? There are also scenes alluding to this issue. Many issues are raised, and perhaps the production's only fault is that it takes on too much. Though the scale is small, the issues are large, and the production deserves credit for dealing well with a difficult show.

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