Monday, January 21, 2008

Mike Daisey hopes to save America from itself : Sharply funny and highly intelligent, Mike Daisey's "Monopoly" was very impressive.

Daisey is mesmerizing in inflection and facial expression, enough so that staring at the guy for 100 minutes is insanely interesting.

The travesty of Wal Mart and corporate America, the tragedy of inventor Nikola Tesla's thwarted American dream and Daisey's encounter with the richest man alive make for an engaging, intellectual monologue that was like nothing I had seen before. All of these themes tie into the game of Monopoly, an American institution. Because, if the whole point of life is to "pass go and collect $200" and to live under the corporation umbrella, there is nothing to show for it all but loss and profit.

Quite a lot to think about, but Daisey weaves it all together seamlessly. He just...makes sense.

In the end, the show was not as cynical as I was expecting, but even more intellectually engaging than I'd hoped.