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| Teresa Avia Lim and Tiffany Villarin. Photo © Joan Marcus, 2015 |
Competition for a
Slot at the Right College Can Be Peerless
By Lauren Yarger
How far are teens willing to go to get into the college
of their choice? And what (or who) are they willing to sacrifice to make it
happen?
A stress-filled, high school somewhere in the suburban
Midwest is the setting for Yale Repertory’s world
premiere of Peerless, by Jiehae Park (winner of the Leah Ryan Prize and Princess Grace Award).
High-achieving Asian twin
sisters M (Tiffany Villarin) and L (Teresa Avia Lim) are shocked when one of
their classmates, D (JD Taylor) gets an early acceptance, and M does not, to THE college – the highly selective one
for which the girls have devoted their lives to gain acceptance.
How
could this happen? M has a 2,400, 4.8 weighted 4.0 with 16 APs and has taken piano
on Sundays since she was 5 years old to make sure she would be the one that was
selected. L even stayed a back a year so the twins wouldn’t be competing for
the same coveted spot – and so she could be sure to be accepted the following
year on sibling privilege. So how did their fat, nerdy classmate get in instead
of M?
It
might have been that he discovered he is 1/16 Native American. Or it could be
that essay he wrote about the challenges of caring for a brother with Cystic
Fibrosis. It doesn’t matter. The girls
begin a plot to get rid of D and open up the spot for M, who surely must be
next on their list.
When
M’s boyfriend, BF (Christopher Livingston) gets in the way, he is in danger
too.
The
twins might just might pull it off, except for Dirty Girl (Caroline Neff ) –
you know the one – that one girl in every class who is weird and hasn’t
showered in a while. Somehow, she seems to know all about the twins and their
evil plans. They might dress alike except for their backpacks (Sydney Gallas does
the costumes) and smile sweetly, but she knows their secrets. If the sisters
can just stick together, they might be able to achieve their goals. But let’s
just say that Fight Director Rick Sordelet is listed in the credits for a
reason…
Park’s
script is humorous and a blistering commentary on today’s practices to get into
the right school. Margot Bordelon directs the fast-paced piece, but needs to
sharpen attempts to have the twins speak over each other and complete each
other’s sentences. During these bits, the dialogue is hard to understand and
plot points are missed.
The
action plays out in one act on a colorful, modern-looking set designed by Christopher
Thompson (with projections by Shawn Boyle) and is enhanced by original music by
Sinan Refik Zafar, who also designs the sound.
Peerless runs through Dec. 19 at Yale Repertory Theatre, 1120 Chapel St., New Haven. Performance times vary. Tickets are $20–98: www.yalerep.org; (203) 432-1234. Student, senior, and group rates are available.
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