Comments on: 7.11 Convenience Theater: The Slurpee Review

By: SavitaRocks

SavitaRocks — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 01:25:20 +0000

Good point, Rupal! I’m definitely not a prude, but that still sounds kinda sexist to me. I wonder if the director of this show was a man or a woman? But, regardless, a show that is produced by two women should not be making one of their female actors run around on stage in just her bra…unless the men in the cast have to also show some skin–i think that would level the playing field…

By: SoHoRupal

SoHoRupal — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 04:44:15 +0000

That brainfreeze sketch was a riot–but I did have one problem with it: how come only the desi chick had to strip down to her bra and parade around stage half-naked, but the two cute desi boys didn’t have to show as much skin too?!!! I was expecting some bare brown man chests, dammit, haha!! Raunchy fun is all good, but only if it’s equal opportunity. If she had to show skin up there, the men should have had to as well, right?! Otherwise, it’s somewhat sexist, which would be odd because, according to their website, the “7-11″ show is produced every year by a pair of…women (they are sisters)!

By: Reshma S.

Reshma S. — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 21:40:26 +0000

The people who posted comments about “7-11″ (which I saw a couple weeks ago–it was okay…not as good as previous years) at Ultrabrown.com, turned me on to three other plays that I got to see this week. They were all thought-provoking and smart. One is called TOPSY TURVY MOUSE (which includes an Indian mom and her 15-year-old son among the characters), which is inspired by the story of the American soldiers who tortured the Abu Ghraib prisoners. It is at the Cherry Lane Theater. Another is called BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO (written by an Indian playwright, and featuring an Indian actor in the cast), which is about a pair of American soldiers in the Middle East and the sad fate that befalls them, as well as people of the country they have invaded. It is at the Lark Play Development Center. And the third is called SERENDIB (which has three desi characters in it), a light-hearted story set in Sri Lanka about a group of animal behavior scientists whose lives parallel those of the monkeys they are studying. It is at the Ensemble Studio Theatre. I would recommend all three of these plays for folks (like BrooklynBrown above) who are looking for something a bit deeper than “7-11″.

By: BhangraBoy2007

BhangraBoy2007 — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 19:38:26 +0000

Yes, that brainfreeze play had some hilarious one-liners in it, plus a hot desi chick running around on stage in her bra!! I did have a good time at this show–but the fact that I had come with some friends, directly from a happy hour at a nearby bar, certainly helped. If you’re looking for serious acting and writing, you should skip this. But if you’re just looking for a fun time, then it’s a cool little show worth checking out.

By: Gogul

Gogul — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:30:29 +0000

Seven 11 has added 3 additional shows in Queens so if you missed the ‘butterfly kisses’ or wanted to see some raunchy desi makeout action again, you can go to their April 20-22 shows during the Asian Cultural Festival at Queens Theatre. Info is at http://www.desipina.org.

By: Janeofalltrades

Janeofalltrades — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 16:19:53 +0000

So I finally saw it this past Friday and to be honest have to say I was disappointed. I think a couple of stories were fine, the excessive sexually charged nature of so many of the skits and the partial nudity (she's hot I'm not complaing) was a bit jarring. I wish I had a little warning. I took some of my boyfriend's relatives and I absolutely would not have if I'd known it was that way. It made me uncomfortable. The MTV Desi bit was funny, a few others were touching but for the most part the show was disappointing.

By the way the Asian guy (I can't remember his name) from last year's production was in the Soprano's episode last night but I couldn't find anything about him on the Desipina website.

By: Bigredbindi

Bigredbindi — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 02:21:39 +0000

Saw it yesterday afternoon. It was a fun show. My favorites were the same two that AshaBhosleFan liked: The one with the Chinese girl who gets into Stanford was cool and creepy. The brainfreeze slurpee play with Debargo Senyal was hilarious. It had the great threadcount-butterfly kisses line that cicatrix mentioned, but also stuff about hrithik roshen’s six fingers, jake gyllanhall & heath ledgar from ‘brokeback mountian’, sanjaya from ‘american idol’, “it was KARMA. it was DHARMA. it was GREG”, and “are you a hinDO or hinDON’T?”. Funny, funny stuff. He should be a tv sitcom writer or something.

By: PreeyaSociology

PreeyaSociology — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 00:11:19 +0000

I went to the show last night, and had a very good time. For just $18 a ticket, I felt like I got my money’s worth (e.g. I paid $110 a ticket for top seats at “Wicked” on Broadway a few months ago, which, by the way, was worth it too) for an evening out at the theater. Sure, “7-11″ wasn’t perfect, but, all in all, i had fun, and so did my two friends who came with me. Also, I’m a Master’s student in sociology, and couldn’t help but notice the way that the puerile humor of the final two pieces completely do away with the stereotype of the ‘Asian model-minority’ by presenting Asian characters who are drinking, smoking pot, having kinky role-playing sex, and…obsessing about women’s asses! I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed these two pieces in particular. Indeed, why should white people have a monopoly on puerile humor, a la the “American Pie” movies? It was bizarrely refreshing to see Asians (brown and yellow) eschewing the usual science/math/medicine/family/overachiever paradigm in favor of naughtier, raunchier fare, in the spirit of films like “Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle” and “Better Luck Tomorrow”. The acting and direction felt somewhat amateurish at times (actors were performing loudly and over-the-top during moments in the other five pieces where some more subtle and quiet work may have been more effective), and the seven plays were not all at the same level in terms of quality of writing, but, again, as a whole, it was a show that I am glad I saw.

By: Manish Vij

Manish Vij — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 05:53:36 +0000

Nothing wrong with mentioning Stoppard. He spent formative years in Calcutta and attended La Martiniere! Honorary brown. And how funny was Rosencrantz & Guildenstern?

By: BrooklynBrown

BrooklynBrown — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 04:48:45 +0000

egads! i should never have mentioned stoppard. that being said, kapoorNYC is correct in that people have many tastes, and that i'm not a fan of "light, goofy".

should anyone want to see nyc desi theater on a regular basis, i'd encourage you to attend the monthly SALAAM readings as a starting place.