What I liked
Joaquin’s dry delivery left the jokes on the same level as the confession of the things he’s thought about doing abusers. It really made me listen. I felt like I trusted everything Joaquin said, I took him seriously, and I didn’t feel as afraid of him by the end as much as I felt empathetic towards him and afraid that I myself have had similar thoughts.
What I didn't like
I got a program after the show which said the interpretive dance was fo disregard the pleas of his abusers. I was unsure that that was happening. Though I suppose it makes sense after having read that.
My overall impression
Unbelievably Cool (A Shocking Trash) is a piece that I’m sure will, unfortunately, always be timely. It examines thoughts that Joaquin, the playwright, shares with many other people who have been abused in any way, which is, “What if I could hurt them back? What if I could MAKE them say they’re sorry?” It’s a scary thought to have, which the play recognizes, but it’s even more scary that multiple people have followed through with these same thoughts. Unbelievably Cool recognizes a problem and presents no solutions all while screaming, “People shouldn’t be able to do this shit! But we, as a country, keep fucking letting it.”
Joaquin is incredibly brave to put out this story that may leave people thinking, “Fuck this guy!” but in the back of our minds, I’m sure we all have had the exact same thoughts.
