Have we ever truly been more digital than in this moment? Yes, people have previously been online constantly, whether hooked up by a desktop, laptop, iPhone, or other smart devices, but the global pandemic has taken it to another level. As everything has gone virtual, we've been given a few treats that we wouldn't have otherwise gotten. And today, we're saying thank you to one Oscar Isaac.
As a part of a series of virtual events and live labs for the MCC Theater, Isaac and Marisa Tomei did a virtual benefit play reading of Alan Browne's Beirut. Tickets started at $5 and went up to $25 on a first-come, first-served basis. The project benefitted MCC Theater and any additional donations were earmarked for the theater's "Be Our Light" Campaign. The play is integral to MCC's history as its debut launched the theater's one-act festival in 1987, effectively launching the museum itself. And while that is a noble cause in and of itself, patrons of the event got to see Isaac in ... ahem, rare form.
In clips from the April 28 performance that were screen recorded and have since started to circulate online, Isaac plays Torch, "a young man who is in quarantine after testing positive to a nameless disease," according to the theater's website. Sound familiar? The work is described as "raunch, it's real, it's poetic." And the viral clips bear that out.
In one Torch asks, if eight inches is enough. I -- I'm just going to leave that right there where I found it.
In another, he pretends to spank his girlfriend, played by Marisa Tomei, slapping his hand to create the sounds. It seems that that in the original version Torch actually spanks her yelling "I'm gonna teach you to behave" ... we're just going to keep this clip in our personal vault for now.
So this is what it feels like to support the arts?!
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