BWW Reviews: CLICKBAIT's Concept Trumps Production

Following a successful January run at Hunter Theatre Company, the undergraduate theatre company at Hunter College, David M. deLeon and Esther Ko's CLICKBAIT is currently running Off-Off-Broadway in the Gallery Space at the Access Theater. The topical dramedy tells the story of a college-aged girl who is mistakenly identified as a suicide victim. Her collegiate peers, who never noticed her before, set their social media feeds ablaze with their feelings about her death, reconstructing her story to fit their own latent emotional needs.

Conceptually, CLICKBAIT is rather brilliant. Upon arriving at the performance space, the audience is asked to join the production's WiFi and visit the play's website on their smartphone browsers. From the screens of our phones, we the audience, can interact with the show. Prior to the play beginning, we can explore more information about CLICKBAIT, watch a live feed of the theater space, and even chat with fellow audience members. During the production, our phones are updated with access to the character's phones, their "Chirpr" (Twitter) accounts, their "Facebox" (Facebook) accounts, their photo galleries, and more. We can browse their phones and apps to get a more complete and deliciously invasive portrait of the character.

Unfortunately, a great concept alone doesn't make for a particularly memorable evening of theatre. Having access to the characters' phones and apps can prove distracting. Yet in the process of zoning out to read sardonic Professor Grainey's ideas for future classes to teach, I didn't feel I missed out on anything major from the writing or the performance. In fact, it seems that David M. deLeon and Esther Ko banked on the audience checking out the novel concept, which was previously experimented with in THE WEINER MONOLOGUES at both Hunter Theatre Company and Access Theater, that they never allowed the writing to say or do anything truly original. Instead, it feels as though we're interacting with a diluted, modernized mash-up of the 1999 black comedy film Jawbreaker and the 2000 American teen drama film Gossip. In essence, the play presents stimulating social problems, but lacks the punch and depth of polemical modern classics like David Mamet's OLEANNA.

Regarding the lack of depth in the work, David M. DeLeon and Esther Ko's writing and directing leaves the cast to create caricatures more than characters. The individuals the audience experiences are shells of people. Liana Wendy Sarapas' Inez is the sexy co-ed who may have more brains than her clothing choices let on. Sajda Waite's Kayla is the over-eager aspiring female reporter hoping to make waves in a male-dominated profession. Gamal El Sawah's Ricardo is the Editor-in-Chief willing to forgo fact checking to break the story first. Macy Idzakovich's Sandy is the disgruntled activist who just wants to be remembered for her heartfelt charity. Louis Gaudio's Professor Grainey is the defeated literature professor looking for any glimmer of a fleeting connection to the student body. Robert Snyder's Andrew is videogame-playing geek desperate for some semblance of recognition and validation of his "bro" identity. Michael Citrin's Carl is the "bro" lackey who skates through life.

Additionally, the innovation of being technologically connected with the show loses it fresh edge as the play progresses. Every time our own smartphones shift from one character's phone to another, there is nothing new to learn about the characters. Their Chirpr feeds are static and so are their photo galleries. If we're going to have this tool that brings us into the authentic emotions, secret desires, and what not of the characters, it would be fascinating to see them progress with the plot.

CLICKBAIT rests on the cutting edge of theatrical innovation. It is experimenting with a new medium, and that alone makes the project interesting. As David M. deLeon and Esther Ko advance through their schooling and continue to develop their play, one can hope that the writing and directing will mature and become more complex. As it stands now, it seems like the thrust of the production was ensuring the technological aspect of the play is as fresh and eye-popping as possible. This makes the rest of the experience seem trite and under-polished. CLICKBAIT has potential to be moving and exhilarating, but it currently rarely surpasses the banal and mundane.

Running Time: Approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes with one intermission.

CLICKBAIT runs in the Gallery Space at Access Theater, 380 Broadway (off White Street), 4th Floor, New York City, 10013 now through September 14, 2014. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Tickets start at $15. For tickets and more information, please visit http://clickbaitplay.com.

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