What I liked
Ethan talks about some heavy subjects, Religion, Family and the Israel – Palestinian conflict, yet he interweaves humor into his performance so that it doesn’t feel heavy. Ethan found a way to interweave his personal experiences with broader issues. Like when he got in trouble after standing up to someone who had been tormenting him for the school year.
What I didn't like
For most of the presentation Ethan stood stiffly in one spot on the stage, moving only after a slide show of his family pictures. It felt a little awkward, I think it would be better if he walked around a bit more and used more body language.
I’m also not sure I would have spent as much time talking about the different anti-depressants and meds he was inappropriately given as a child – I know it’s important to him, but I felt it took away from his main theme.
My overall impression
I identified with a lot of this performance. While I grew up as a mid-western Jew, I had New York relatives who grew up in neighborhoods like Ethan’s. Growing up I was the ‘token jew’ in elementary – high school, unlike Ethan who didn’t get that treatment until College. My Rabbi fulfilled the role the Ethan’s father did in giving context to the disjunction between the State of Israel, the Jewish Religion and Jewish Heritage.
