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Theater Review: The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity

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SARASOTA – Kristoffer Diaz's 2010 Pulitzer Prize Finalist, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, is one of the most unique pieces of theater one is likely to come across. However, this play, which somewhat unthinkably centers on the world of professional wrestling, is much more than just an elaborately-staged spectacle. Indeed, it is high drama personified by brilliant theatrical innovation.

Macedonio "Mace" Guerra is what's known in the business as a jobber, a fall guy whose skills are trained toward helping other more marketable wrestlers get over with the fans. When his brothers introduce him the Vigneshwar "VP" Paduar, a charismatic, smack talking Indian-American from Brooklyn, Mace recognizes him as a potential wrestling superstar.

Mace pitches the newcomer to Everett K. Olson, a Vince McMahon-styled promoter who runs the biggest promotion in the business. "EKO" doesn't quite see VP through the same lens that Mace does, but recognizes the opportunity to exploit age-old stereotypes and xenophobic attitudes in matching him up as a Middle Eastern terrorist foil for the promotion's top draw and current world champion, Chad Deity.

Mace narrates the story, frequently breaking the 4th wall to self-consciously acknowledge all of the absurdity that is forever perpetuated by his beloved profession. For the production, Asolo's Cook Theatre is completely transformed into a functioning wrestling arena–ring and all! The drama is hardly confined to the stage, as actual (not to mention quite credible) wrestling scenes are interwoven with the dialog and Mace's soliloquies.
 

Garrett Turner, Pierre Jean Gonzalez and Raji Ahsan. Photo by Cliff Roles
 
Stage veteran Pierre Jean Gonzalez is nothing short of spectacular as Mace, infusing the role with a deeply believable passion for the subject matter that quickly takes anyone of my generation that watched the old Saturday morning WWF programs of the 1980's right back to their living room floor. Raji Ashan is laugh-out-loud hilarious as VP, a smack-talk virtuoso who comes off as something of a millennial man for our times.
 
Despite their extra-large personas, Garrett Turner deftly manages the considerable task of bringing to life the awesome presence of Deity with a personality that seemed to eclipse even modern wrestling's biggest stars, while calling to mind figures like Ric Flair and even Muhammad Ali. Scott Aiello also gives a very strong performance as EKO, a vivid caricature of the modern-day promoter.


Raji Ahsan and Pierre Jean Gonzalez. Photo by Cliff Roles
 
It's not only the acting that carries the play, which was given the 2011 Obie Award for Best New American Play, to great heights. Director Jen Wineman and her creative team (including scenic designer Tim Mackabee, costume designer Eduardo Sicangco, lighting designer Alan Edwards, sound designer Luqman Brown and fight director Michael Rossmy) have constructed a rich and vivid multi-media experience that transports the audience right into the heart of the action.

Despite its somewhat pedestrian subject matter, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity is high art; a smartly written, thought-provoking work of theater that also happens to be one of the funniest plays I've seen in a long, long time. Best of all, it managed to draw a younger audience than I've ever seen at an Asolo production and is indeed a perfect work for theatrical newcomers. The play runs through April 30. Tickets start at just $27, and there is not a bad seat in the house. Visit the Asolo website for more information.
 
Pierre Jean Gonzalez and Raji Ahsan. Photo by Cliff Roles
 

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