Review-Bridge & Tunnel (1.29.06)

Bridge & Tunnel (Sunday, 1.29.06)
Helen Hayes Theatre, New York, NY

By: Sarah Jones

Starring: Sarah Jones

Close your eyes and you will be transported. The remarkable Sarah Jones captures each inflection, each mannerism. Open your eyes and you will swear that you see a middle aged immigrant from Pakistan, a Chinese woman, an elderly Jewish woman from Staten Island, a second-generation Vietnamese teenager from Chicago. Jones remarkably transforms herself in seconds from one character to the next, and back again.

Jones’ actual performance, however, is not the only remarkable thing. It is also the beautifully written words themselves, also penned by Jones, which are touching and funny all at once. Jones is a poet; she has captured these characters in the way they speak, but also in what they say.

Taken together, these characters capture the immigrant experience – at least, the experience of immigrants interested in becoming part of American society. For this reason, the show rings true as a story about the people of New York City – it tells the story of all of these different people, with different backgrounds and different experiences, but all with one thing in common – their desire to share their experiences and themselves with others. These are community builders.

That said, Jones has wisely put this all in the backdrop of the post 9/11 world, where there is great danger of prejudice. The show starts with the M.C., who is Pakistani, talking on his cell phone to his worried wife about a relative taken in for questioning by the authorities. From this, we understand and appreciate all the more the experiences of these people, all so different, and yet all so contributing to our society and all that is good about it.