Review of New Kid at Adventure Stage Chicago

Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called New Kid. It was written by Dennis Foon and it was directed by Julie Ritchey. (This play had two different casts. I'll mention the person I saw first and then say the other person's name too.) It was about a boy named Nick (Chris Acevedo/Seanna Wong) and he had just moved from the Homeland to the United States. The Homeland can really be any place you imagine it to be, as long as it is not America. Then he gets bullied by Mog (Carri Stevens/Annamarie Giordano), but his friend Mencha (Raymond Hutchison/Christiane Schaldemose) helps him through everything and is really nice to him. And also his mom (Andréa Morales) also helps him and he helps her with people in the town so she can learn English better. I thought this was a really fun show. It made me think a lot and it was really interesting and cool.

The language that the people who were from America used was really awesome. It showed you Nick's perspective because he was speaking English and the American language sounded like gibberish with little words that kind of sounded familiar. And it was super fun and exciting to try to figure out what all the words that they were saying meant. Like hockey is schlamschtick which is hilarious because it kind of is just slamming a stick against the ground. You knew what it was because they started playing hockey. And gibba may actually sounds like "give it to me" and they would put out their hand so that they could have it. And cronkit meant broken and the word reminded me of gears springing out of a robot. It showed that even though you might be clueless about a new language at first, eventually you get used to it and you'll start understanding it.

The issues seemed very real. It made me feel bad for Nick when he was getting bullied. He doesn't know how to speak their language so he is very confused at first when they talk to him. When he takes his friend Mencha home to meet his Mom, his mom thinks Mencha is a bad person, even though he is a good person, because of her experiences of people yelling at her because she is different from the other people in the city. But then she realizes that not all people who are not from Homeland are bad because he becomes nice to her and likes her food and also Nick said he was ok because he stood up for him. When she gives him pudding, it was really funny how he ate it. He just started out really scared, and the he ate it and ate it and said "More, please." That shows that if you try something new you might like it. The play seemed also to be saying that prejudice could even come from people who had been prejudiced against. I think that is right, and a lot of time shows and movies don't realize that. That doesn't mean the mom is bad, it just means she goes with her instincts, and when she sees that kind of person she tries to protect herself. I'm glad that she learned that not all people who are not from Homeland are bad.

People who would like this show are people who like delicious pudding, new languages, and schlamschtick. I think people should definitely go see this show because it is funny, interesting, and a fun and complex thing to bring your kids to. It only runs until November 21st, so hurry and see it!


Photos: Johnny Knight