The Ecology of the New York Liberal
By Susanna Dokupil
As the Republicans descended on New York City for the convention, the natives fled in droves to The Hamptons, Martha's Vineyard, and other elite east coast resorts, apparently fearing terrorism, increased traffic congestion, and the onslaught of the Great Unwashed, who fail to appreciate the
haute cuisine and culture New York City has to offer.
For those liberals unlucky enough to be left behind by the exodus, some entertainment remains. First, one can sell anti-Bush T-shirts and buttons sporting slogans like "Anyone But Bush," "Homeland Insecurity," "No CARBs" (Cheney, Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, and Bush), and some others not fit to print. Rumor has it that some vendors are giving discounts to customers wearing anti-Bush logos, but that rumor was unverifiable (read: my Democrat friend wore a "Re-Defeat Bush" button all weekend, and the best she got was a compliment).
Then, there’s protesting. A group of cyclists called "Critical Mass" clogged traffic in order to make a statement about the environment. Other small groups protested around the city on Saturday. On Sunday, all the demonstrators united in a single, large, omnibus protest parading down a carefully marked police route. Liberals across the city seem to support the protestors in spirit, if not in action.
Best of all, there’s the annual FringeNYC festival--a convocation of off-off-off-off-Broadway productions ranging from musicals to experimental theater--best noted for its stealth hit
Urinetown, which later made it to Broadway. All FringeNYC shows aspire to the heights of
Urinetown. In addition to the rather predictable gay/minority/feminist perspective pieces, FringeNYC boasts a number of political works, mostly focusing on terrorism and lampooning Republicans. Some of the more intriguing titles include
The Passion of George W. Bush (an obvious parody of Mel Gibson's popular film about the life of Christ) and
Here Come the Elephants. So, for those who can’t afford The Hamptions, $15 buys an hour or so of levity.
I and my Democrat friend saw three of these productions.
9/11: The Book of Job combined the Biblical story of the innocent Job, whom God allowed Satan to plague as a test of faith, with the reactions of New Yorkers to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. A serious musical work, 9/11 uses a combination of postmodern musical forms and narrative to reflect the pain New Yorkers still feel after losing so many loved ones.
On a lighter note,
Apocalypse One took a satirical look at the election. In the show, Jesus Christ decides to run for president against George W. Bush on a platform of improving access to health care, but he ultimately withdraws from the race because conservative reporters keep harassing him about his personal life. They claim he has an illicit relationship with former prostitute Mary Magdalene and isn’t strong on terrorism (see, e.g., Christ's remarks on turning the other cheek and beating swords into ploughshares). After Jesus withdraws from the race, George W. Bush wins, and the four horsemen of the apocalypse unite to bring about the end of the world.
John Walker: The Musical is a self-described "rock-and-roll black comedy" that examines how an American boy would join the Taliban. John’s nemesis is a government official (his exact position is not disclosed) who has a rich, powerful father, wears boots, and speaks with a Texas accent. This politician who engineers the capture of John Walker and brands him a traitor is some combination of the bad guy from
Urban Cowboy and an all-powerful Saturday morning cartoon villain, complete with minions and evil laugh. That pretty well sums up the New York liberal view of the Republican administration.
For all its passion and creativity, New York theatre seems universally liberal. Even Tony award-winning
Avenue Q, a musical best described as
Rent meets "Sesame Street," gets in a few digs. Rod, a puppet loosely based on Sesame Street’s Bert, is afraid to come out of the closet about his homosexuality because he is a Republican. His therapist jokes that a gay Republican is of no use to anyone. And the closing number notes that many avenues of pleasure and pain are "only for now," including George W. Bush.
Only in New York would people take their policy disagreements and turn them into creative works of art. And that’s what liberal folk do. So I'm told.
Susanna Dokupil is an attorney and writer in Houston, Texas, and a regular contributor to TAEmag.com. She spent the weekend before the convention traveling in New York.
