AUDITORIUM

  • HOME

  • OUR STORY

  • FEATURES

  • REVIEWS

  • CONTACT

  • More

    Theory of Conflict

    Usman Ally and Jameal Ali in NYTW's THE INVISIBLE HAND - Photo by Joan Marcus-3.JPG

    ✮✮✮

    Ayad Akhtar's The Invisible Hand

    New York Theatre Workshop | NYC

    directed by Ken Rus Schmoll

    Ventriloquising media-vilified terrorists could turn any author mealy-mouthed. Dave Eggers stumbled with his non-fiction book Zeitoun, which eulogised a New Orleans man whose wife has now spoken out over his violent stalking of her and her child. Here, Ayad Akhtar’s patchier follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize-winning Disgraced in 2012 moves the scene from a bourgeois dinner party to the stonier creative ground of a compound in Pakistan where the American banker Nick is being held hostage by a group of religious idealists.

    Akhtar's play has been characterised as “a play about terrorism”, but it's really all about money. Its horribly smarmy Imam-turned-captor (Dariush Kashani) wheedles out of Nick that his god is the US dollar, and the play is a half-involuntary lovesong to the power of the stockmarkets Nick must use to win his ransom. Post-recession, having a banker as a hero is brave – and Justin Kirk’s unnuanced, energetic Nick can't quite be described otherwise. Akhtar might be subtly satirising Nick, but the audience seems to be a little in love with this pedantic everyman poet of US financial and foreign affairs. The biggest (comfortable) laugh comes when Nick cites the so-called “Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention”; no two countries with McDonald's have ever fought a war against each other. Akhtar's text declines to let his Pakistani characters point out that there are McDonald's in Pakistan.

    Nick's helpmeet on his mission to invest his way to freedom is his guard Bashir. He’s written as a thesaurus Londoner – he says he is “banjoed, arsed” to mean drunk – but Usman Ally’s perfectly-accented performance has a Hounslow sharpness and insecure edge. Frustrated with Nick’s refusal to show his workings, he hunts down his doctoral thesis on Lexis Nexus to discover that the dollar was the “security” that post-war Europe was built around. He’s sick of of fighting in Islamic State, and in his most eloquent moments he explains his new organisation’s dreams of buying vaccines and medical supplies to undo the damage of decades of fiscal colonialism.

    Bashir and Nick work and argue in uneasy collaboration in a single cell, but director Ken Rus Schmell doesn’t tie their punchy scenes closely enough to exploit this play’s potential for intense claustrophobia. There are surprises, but not shocks, as the mood darkens. Riccardo Hernandez’s design doesn’t help, emphasising the theatre’s high redbrick lines with corrugated iron. The cell’s ceiling is winched up after the interval in an outbreak of theatrics that undermines the heavy-duty naturalism that’s aspired to here.

    The most satisfying element of the piece is Akhtar’s characterisation of the unseen Pakistan outside. Nick’s captors – simple, potato-trading Dar is the third – grumble about the mundanities of potato farming, roads with vast pot-holes, and the bigger lacunae in their corrupt governments’ oversight. Everyone’s scheming to get ahead from Dar’s potato trading plan to the Imam’s corrupt house-buying. In a neat parallel, Nick explains that the title’s “invisible hand” is self interest, which he interprets uncritically as a force that guides and regulates the market.

    Akhtar’s abrupt conclusion to the play is guided by this invisible hand, its imaginative grip unshaken by pre-recessionary excesses. Following his exploration of wordier, messier ways of seeing the world, it comes like one of the captor’s violent outbursts at Nick after days of mutual understanding: a frustrating return to a simpler kind of language.

    photo | ©Joan Marcus

    #nyc #nytw #ayadakhtar

    Featured Posts
    Where Do Men Go to Grieve?

    Where Do Men Go to Grieve?

    Autumn Approaches

    Autumn Approaches

    The American Struggle

    The American Struggle

    Now We'll Hear From the Opposition

    Now We'll Hear From the Opposition

    A Family All at Sea

    A Family All at Sea

    Hollywood and the Optimism of Disappointment

    Hollywood and the Optimism of Disappointment

    We Are the World

    We Are the World

    As the Crow Flies

    As the Crow Flies

    Am I or Am I Not?

    Am I or Am I Not?

    The Truth, or Something Beautiful

    The Truth, or Something Beautiful

    {"items":["5fda4a4941e7f9001737e958","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e956","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e954","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95b","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e953","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95a","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e959","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e955","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e957","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95c"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Strips","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"fill","cubeRatio":"100%/100%","isVertical":false,"gallerySize":30,"collageDensity":0.8,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":true,"imageMargin":0,"galleryMargin":0,"scatter":0,"chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":false,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":true,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":1,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":120,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCropRatios":"","columnWidths":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":3,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":0,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":false,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":true,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":3,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":"SHOW_ON_HOVER","galleryTextAlign":"center","scrollSnap":true,"itemClick":"nothing","fullscreen":true,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","slideAnimation":"SCROLL","scrollDirection":1,"scrollDuration":400,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":18,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":160,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imagePlacementAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":0,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":50,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":0,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":220,"allowTitle":true,"allowContextMenu":true,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"showVideoPlayButton":true,"galleryLayout":5,"targetItemSize":220,"selectedLayout":"5|bottom|1|fill|false|1|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":5,"isSlideshowFont":true,"externalInfoHeight":0,"externalInfoWidth":0},"container":{"width":220,"height":284,"galleryWidth":220,"galleryHeight":123,"scrollBase":0}}
    Recent Posts
    Where Do Men Go to Grieve?

    Where Do Men Go to Grieve?

    Autumn Approaches

    Autumn Approaches

    The American Struggle

    The American Struggle

    Now We'll Hear From the Opposition

    Now We'll Hear From the Opposition

    A Family All at Sea

    A Family All at Sea

    Hollywood and the Optimism of Disappointment

    Hollywood and the Optimism of Disappointment

    We Are the World

    We Are the World

    As the Crow Flies

    As the Crow Flies

    Am I or Am I Not?

    Am I or Am I Not?

    The Truth, or Something Beautiful

    The Truth, or Something Beautiful

    {"items":["5fda4a4941e7f9001737e958","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e956","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e954","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95b","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e953","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95a","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e959","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e955","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e957","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95c"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Columns","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"max","cubeRatio":1.7777777777777777,"isVertical":true,"gallerySize":30,"collageAmount":0,"collageDensity":0,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":false,"imageMargin":22,"galleryMargin":0,"scatter":0,"chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":true,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":false,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":0,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":50,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCropRatios":"","columnWidths":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":3,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":0,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":false,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":false,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":4,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":["SHOW_ON_THE_RIGHT","SHOW_BELOW"],"galleryTextAlign":"center","scrollSnap":false,"itemClick":"nothing","fullscreen":true,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","slideAnimation":"SCROLL","scrollDirection":0,"scrollDuration":400,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":23,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":200,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imagePlacementAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":60,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":75,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":0,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":1000,"allowTitle":true,"allowContextMenu":true,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"itemBorderColor":{"themeName":"color_12","value":"rgba(230,230,230,0)"},"showVideoPlayButton":true,"galleryLayout":2,"calculateTextBoxHeightMode":"MANUAL","targetItemSize":1000,"selectedLayout":"2|bottom|1|max|true|0|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":2,"isSlideshowFont":true,"externalInfoHeight":60,"externalInfoWidth":0.75},"container":{"width":220,"galleryWidth":242,"galleryHeight":0,"scrollBase":0,"height":null}}
    Archive
    No tags yet.
    Search By Tags
    • June 2019 (1)
    • May 2018 (3)
    • April 2018 (4)
    • March 2018 (3)
    • February 2018 (2)
    • January 2018 (3)
    • December 2017 (1)
    • November 2017 (3)
    • October 2017 (3)
    • September 2017 (4)
    • August 2017 (3)
    • July 2017 (3)
    • June 2017 (4)
    • May 2017 (8)
    • April 2017 (9)
    • March 2017 (13)
    • February 2017 (2)
    • November 2016 (9)
    • October 2016 (10)
    • September 2016 (17)
    • August 2016 (24)
    • July 2016 (9)
    • June 2016 (11)
    • May 2016 (4)
    • April 2016 (3)
    • March 2016 (1)
    • February 2016 (3)
    • January 2016 (2)
    • November 2015 (4)
    • October 2015 (1)
    • September 2015 (4)
    • August 2015 (5)
    • July 2015 (13)
    • June 2015 (8)
    • May 2015 (3)
    • April 2015 (2)
    • March 2015 (6)
    • February 2015 (2)
    • January 2015 (2)
    • December 2014 (4)
    • November 2014 (8)
    • October 2014 (11)
    • September 2014 (10)
    • August 2014 (7)
    • July 2014 (9)
    • June 2014 (7)
    • May 2014 (6)
    • April 2014 (9)
    • March 2014 (4)
    • February 2014 (2)
    • Facebook Round
    • YouTube Round
    • Vimeo - Black Circle
    • Twitter Round
    • Instagram - Black Circle

    © AUDITORIUM EU LTD.