We love Live Theatre!

A few nights ago, we saw live theatre: Taking Over, a one-man show by Danny Hoch. We saw it almost a year ago in Berkeley. His performance is moving and dynamic. It's all about the recent gentrification of Brooklyn. His audience really relates to the stories because many of us who go to the shows are the ones who are gentrifying the "dangerous" neighborhoods. At the end, he read letters from audience members. They share their confusion: "Wait, I'm a white male from Missouri living in Harlem. I'm voted for Obama & I'm a good guy. How come you don't have a character like me in the play?" I think people walk away thinking about his message. They try to think about a solution. Hoch presents the paradox that people always move away from home to find themselves. Why has Brooklyn turned into a sojourn for these yuppies? I walked away thinking, "What would it have been like to have stayed in Orange County all these years?" He's right, many kids from the suburbs move to the city to discover their identity and fall in love with the grittiness and density of the urban environment. But, eventually, we all leave. We leave the cities after having raised the housing prices and the price of almond croissants. In our wake, we leave a myriad of art galleries and cafes. Even though, Hoch doesn't give a solution, he gives us plenty to think about, and he offers a voice to those who don't have one.