Poet and playwright Sarah Jones created Bridge & Tunnel in 2004, and performed it Off-Broadway. It moved to Broadway in 2006 and won a Tony Award. This one-person-many character show that celebrates America’s diversity is even more timely now than it was when it first hit the boards in the wake of 9/11.
Taking place in a run-down poetry cafe in Queens, New York, 15 characters take the stage to perform their poems. monologues, and express their unique points of view, pulled together by a peace-embracing emcee, Mohammed Ali. Others come to the stage, including the multi-culural Linda, Hispanic Juan Jose Martinez, traditional Chinese moth Pauline Ling, and Russian Boris Ostrovsky — each with their own struggles being “American” and what all that entails. They come to share and rage, weep and puzzle out the complexities of their lives and their worlds, and ultimately to listen to each other.
The term “bridge and tunnel” refers to the residents of the outer boroughs of New York who are looked down on by Manhattanites. They have to travel via bridges and tunnels to “invade” the elite section of New York; hence the not-so-nice nickname.
Millicent Wright, who was recently seen in the IRT’s production of To Kill a Mockingbird, returns to the stage in this one-person show. Mastering the accents and quick changes necessary to bring 15 characters to life in a scant 90 minutes, Wright fills the Upperstage with non-stereotypes. She embraces their vulnerabilities and strengths, avoiding strident cliches in word and action. Inspiring and thought-provoking, Bridge & Tunnel, with its immigrant and second-generation immigrant experiences, is especially timely given today’s angry politics focused on what it is to be an American.
Seamlessly directed by Richard J. Roberts, with clever quick-change costumes by Katie Cowan Sickmeier, the production is tight and fluid. Bridge & Tunnel is another not-to-be-missed production by the Indiana Repertory Theatre.
Shows continue through May 1; tickets are $59-$20; visit www.irtlive.com or call 317-635-5252.
