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TRaC Review Ivana Ng (Multi-TRaC, Fall 05) Reviews Sides: The Fear is Real at The Culture Project  Sides: The Fear is Real is brimming with slapstick humor about an all-Asian cast of actors and their auditioning nightmares. Before the short Asian woman even signs in for her first audition, snickers can be heard scattered throughout the audience. Perhaps Sides is so hilarious that they have accumulated groupies! Nevertheless, genuine laughter was frequent, and the humor was sharp and entertaining. They poke fun at Asian typecasts right at the start with two actors stripping off their sweaters to reveal "Julliard" and "Yale" T-shirts and then continuing on with one of the actors auditioning for a role as a Korean grocery-store owner. In another scene, a short woman with spiky hair ridicules the popular stereotype of the "aZn Japanese girl" in mismatched clothing and pink hair, sporting a peace sign and a toothy smile. Still more hilarious was when, in the third scene, Sekiya Billman and Paul Juhn performed an amazingly choreographed soap opera mimicking over-the-camera and pan shots -- with only one stationary camera! On the other hand, Sides did stumble at times, especially during the second half. Evidently, Asian stereotypes as a running gag rapidly lose their bite. The jokes become increasingly diluted, which is especially noticeable in the scene where one actress is possessed by a demon. This scene, like the ending, was incoherent and did not follow with the rest of the story. Sides has great potential; it starts off well and, though there are plenty of jokes, it slacks off toward the end and the humor becomes less droll and more cliché. Nonetheless, Sides is worthwhile for the hilarious dialogues and the outstanding performances, especially those of Paul Juhn and Peter Kim. |