By Sandra Smith
Mikhail Durnenkov’s dark comedy play titled “Are We at War Yet?” debuted at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on April 19 and touched on everyday issues, suggesting that society’s stability is slipping away.
The performance was presented as a series of 12 vignettes which incorporate mysterious lights and techno music. It began in an airport scene which depicted the challenges of getting “hooked.”
The characters described getting hooked on things such as alcohol, games on their phones or online shopping. The play insinuated with witty statements that humans are often scared of the real world – and that these addictive elements allow people to escape the truth.
Zya Woodfork, a freshman astronomy and physics major who attended the play, felt that the newsroom vignette was the most impactful. During the scene, the characters discussed the battle society faces to differentiate fake news from real news, and didn’t differentiate between true or false for the audience.
Woodfork also believed the blend of humor with such weighty themes was a good mix.
“There were a lot of different scenes where the audience was meant to laugh. It was a good way to tie everything together,” Woodfork said.
The constant threat of war was also discussed throughout the play. The Russian narrative shows that change can be difficult, and people tend to believe any falsities they may hear.
Robert Lloyd, a senior cinema and media studies and philosophy major, enjoyed the unusual aspects of the play, such as a pool scene, where a man accuses another man of looking at his wife.
“The pool scene was just really weird. It stuck out to me as unusual in the context of the wider thing,” Lloyd said. “It easily was the most absurd and humorous. I noticed a growing motif throughout it where the characters suddenly turned and did opposite things. That scene really hit me.”
The show left some audience members with a dose of reality, feeling like they walked out with more awareness of the world around them.
The director, Yury Urnov, felt that the idea of audience members realizing the play is about them is important.
In her director’s note, Urnov wrote, “In the case of ‘Are We at War Yet?’, the translation involved the interpretation and juxtaposition of cultural realities, behavioral patterns, and habits. And even more so, it was about the translation of politics – and discovering the astonishing degree to which Russian political issues translate into and project onto the realities of America today.”
The play has many different interpretations, which is what makes it so interesting to many.
“The beauty of art is being able to express things and look at things clearly through the forms of art they allow,” Lloyd said. “It left everyone with a lot to think about.”
Featured Image: The war games scene in “Are We at War Yet?” Photo by Lisa Helfert.
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