Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The kids are alright: GENERATION NYZ is a tender, heartfelt love letter to New York and its inspiring youths

• By drediman
• February 3, 2019
• No Comments

The company of Ping Chong + Company’s “Undesirable Elements: Generation NYZ” at La Mama’s Ellen Stewart Theatre. Photo by Alexis Buatti-Ramos.

Last night, I caught Ping Chong + Company’s Off-Broadway production of Undesirable Elements: Generation NYZ at the Ellen Stewart Theatre at La Mama in the East Village (the piece was previously staged at the New Victory Theater). The tender piece of documentary theater, assembled and directed by Sara Zatz and Kirya Traber, tracks seven youths as they tell the audience of their respective coming-of-age experiences in today’s New York City – complete with its very real challenges and heartfelt personal triumphs. In many respects, the show felt like a love letter to New York City, one of the few places on Earth where kids from all walks of life can realize their authentic selves.

I was affected and caught off guard by the honesty and the vulnerability of Ms. Zatz and Ms. Traber’s production. Seated in a semicircle against a screen on which evocative images were occasionally projected, these extraordinary youths – Syl, Porscha, Edwin, Mohammad, Monica, De-Andra, and Rafael – simply read from scripts recounting real stories from their childhood. Indeed, Undesirable Elements: Generation NYZ‘s straightforward approach rang true without – refreshingly – feeling over-produced.

Although they’ve each come from different backgrounds and possess their own unique truths and points of view, these youths shared a common resilience, creativity, and resourcefulness that I found deeply inspiring. Gathering from what I saw at the Ellen Stewart, the future of the city is in good hands with these thoughtful, outspoken, and smart young adults. Although their level of comfort onstage varied, they collectively wove a colorful tapestry that reminded me all over again of the fragile but empowering process that is growing up.  The last performance of Undesirable Elements: Generation NYZ is today; it’s well worth checking out.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

UNDESIRABLE ELEMENTS: GENERATION NYZ
Off-Broadway, Play
Ping Chong + Company at the Ellen Stewart Theatre at La Mama
1 hour, 15 minutes 
Through February 3