Play portrays failings of activism chic

Slow Boat to China" is about stereotypes, the intricacies of love and people trying to be accepted. A cultured activist white girl meets a free-spirited black artist from the streets. She falls in love with him, he with her... but not really. \nMaya, the white girl, presents herself as "aware" of the social injustices of white America. In particular, she wants to show that she, a white girl, is "hip" to black culture. She meets Nick, a black man with "soul," and they instantly fall in love. However, it seems like she is more in love with her own ability to go out with a black man (thus appearing cultured and accepting) than she is actually in love with him as a person. Nick is a spontaneous, casual and sometimes crude "street artist." Sometimes he practices being homeless. He's honest about life and who he is as an individual. It quickly becomes apparent that his interest in Maya is sincere. \nThe play opens with Maya (a self-proclaimed "Artist in Residence") teaching high school students the importance of wishy-washy ultra liberal ideals. She's one of those young teachers who starts by trying to be everyone's best friend. She wants desperately to be seen as the cool teacher who is accepted by the students. But this never works, not in real life, and certainly not in the play. \n"Slow Boat to China" is an accurate depiction of a certain type of person. Playwright and Indianapolis native Lauren Weedman wrote a precise and sometimes subtle observation of a real phenomenon of our generation. "Slow Boat" is not a story about how people learn and grow and become more aware. Instead it is about a woman who thinks she is aware, thinks she is cultured, intelligent and "hip" -- but really, she just wants to be liked. \nAll of the actors deliver believable performances. Heather Elizabeth Christian makes Maya superficial and self-obsessed in a very real way. She allows Maya to be a flesh-and-blood version of a caricature. It would be very easy to play Maya as a confused valley girl with one dimension who is the butt of every joke. Instead, she becomes someone who we can hold accountable for her actions. It is easy to think we have her all figured out from the start, but she gets more complex, more tragic, and by the final act we have seen at least one scene in which she was downright disturbing. \nFrom his very first scene, Timothy Ryder's Nick has a silent inner dialogue that comes out in his performance. Nick is portrayed as a paradox, but in a way that many real people are. Ryder gives the impression that Nick is smarter than he appears. He understands the type of person Maya is, but tries to convince himself otherwise until the truth is simply unavoidable.\nRenee Reed plays the only true voice of reason as Hera, the principal at the school where Maya teachers. Her abilities are put to the test every time she has to deal with Maya or even Nick. Breshaun-Birene Joyner is Susan, a member of Nick's family, who adds a fourth perspective to the play. Both Joyner and Reed play fairly stereotypical roles in subtly non-stereotypical ways. The actresses make their characters into individuals, not just well-grounded foils to Nick and Maya's little fantasy world. \nIntelligence and understanding was put into the design of the stage and direction by Danielle Bruce. \n"Slow Boat to China" is playing June 19-21 at 8 p.m., June 22 2 p.m., June 26-28 at 8 p.m. and June 29 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the BPP box office. For more information see www.newplays.org or call 334-1188.