Cloudy

Fringe Review: NE 2nd Avenue
Teo Castellanos' award-winning solo-characterizations capture the diversity of urban America
Let me explain why. It's not that I'm in any way related to Teo Castellanos, never even met the man. No, it's that upon seeing his solo-characterizations based on Miami's inner city neighborhoods, I became completely, overwhelmingly homesick.
Those of you who come from the rich, raw, mixed and often maddening diversity of the US will know what I mean. I haven't seen such a range of ethnicities, styles, accents and cultures since I quit teaching high school in Oakland, California. Nor did I realize just how much I missed it until I saw NE 2nd Avenue last night.
Through a skillful blend of music, minimal costume changes (hats and shoes), and extraordinary insight and perceptiveness, Castellanos is able to bring to life a miscellany of characters taken straight from the streets of Miami and indeed almost any major city on the coasts.
I recognized two of my old students in his portrayals, one a proud, young black woman, knowing herself to be a queen but not yet knowing how to fulfill her own prophetic dreams. The other was a young man selling weed on the streets, a complex and contradictory mix of compassion and cruelty.
The other characters I knew from neighborhoods and community centers, my local bus stop and my friends. Castellanos' talent lies in his ability to depict both a universal type of person (perhaps even a stereotype in some cases), while imbuing his characters with an individuality and emotionality uniquely their own. Thus, we as an audience recognize the other and ourselves in his portrayals.
My only criticism of the piece is a certain lack of cohesion between the parts. Although there was the motif of a tourist, it felt forced in places and detracted rather then added to the effectiveness of Castellanos' story-telling style. I wanted to see more inter-connection between the characters and perhaps even the presence of the playwright himself. There were occasional dips in energy and understanding, yet for the most part, it held our attention through and through.
I highly recommend this winner of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and can only urge those of you who miss the layers, the ironies, the humor and the beauty of living in a diverse setting, to go and remind yourselves of it! And for those who have never experienced this, go and discover it…
NE 2nd Avenue is playing every day at 10pm at A Studio Rubín until Sunday, June 6th.
For more information see the Fringe Festival Praha website.
- Share your opinion on this article in the PTV Discussion Forum
Video on YouTube
Related articles
-
A Day Trip To Some Of The Best Castles by Shaun O'Banion
The results are in and the most popular Czech castles (based on the number of visitors) have been announced by the Czech state.
-
The upcoming TEDxUNYP event: Inspiration in a complicated world by Paul Lysek
What is TEDxUNYP? Who is invited? Why would one attend? These were the various questions going through my head when I spoke to Mark Anderson , TEDxUNYP Organizer & Licensee.
-
Films to Watch at this Year’s One World Festival by Brad McGregor
-
HBO’s The Sleepers Takes You Back to Prague 1989 by
If you’re familiar with award-winning HBO’s Chernobyl, then you will love HBO’s new mini-series The Sleepers.
-
JOJO RABBIT, shot in the Czech Republic, receives six Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture) and six BAFTA nominations! by Shaun O'Banion
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the best in cinema for 2019 and among the nominees was Taika Waititi’s JOJO RABBIT which stars Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, newcomer Roman Griffin Davis, and Thomasin Mackenzie.
-
WATCH: Hungarian PM Victor Orbán Booed at Reopening of Prague State Opera House by Caroline Marcela
On Sunday Evening, Hungarian PM Victor Orbán was received with jeers and boos from protesters as he attended the reopening of the State Opera House gala event. Protesters shouted out ‘hanba’, meaning shame in Czech as he exited his private car.
-
'Movie Barf Monday' - a weekly English friendly film night by Ryan Keating
Movie Barf and Edison Filmhub are thrilled to present 'Movie Barf Monday' - a weekly English friendly film night dedicated to screening a diverse variety of award-winning contemporary and classic films in the new Edison Filmhub cinema and bar located in Prague's old town.
-
The Prague Orgy - a new Czech film in English in Czech cinemas by Michal Kráčmer
LESS LIBERTY, BETTER FUCKS
-
Festival 4+4 Days in Motion by Eliška Míkovcová (4+4 Festival)
Festival 4+4 Days in Motion to start in Desfours Palace, this year’s slogan is Nobody Has Anything
-
Lunchmeat Festival 2019—Dark Stars on the Horizon by Tony Ozuna - (Photo Lunchmeat Festival)
Lunchmeat Festival returns to Prague at the end of September as the leading arena for cutting-edge electronic music and with more audio-visual punch than ever before. Their new motto is a challenge to the mainstream: “obsessed with audio-visual mindf**cks— & those who question the status quo.”
Facebook comments
Best Irish Pub in Prague
Authentic Italian cuisine in Prague
Enjoy Prague from a different view
Discover the history of Prague’s famous Charles Bridge
Trabant Museum @ STK Motol
Armádní muzeum Žižkov
Národní památník hrdinů heydrichiády

Prague’s # 1 source for Czech news in English…
.png)
Digital lifestyle magazine platform promoting life in Prague.