production had been thoughtfully put together and the acting had been a consistently unified kind of caricature, it might have worked.

But the inconsistencies only served to make the stereotypes ugly and disturbing rather than funny. After so many years of such depictions, it is time to be more thoughtful when that kind of characterization is put out there.

And to top it off, anthem rock music was played between scenes and at intermission, creating a jarring clash of aesthetics and giving one the sense nobody thought about congruity or making the entire experience coherent. The play ended with the cast launching into a karaoke version of a song by the '80s band Journey, which, although fun for the actors, was incoherent for the audience. At that moment, as anaudience member, I felt the director was not taking me seriously and was presenting the most random assortment of stuff, thrown together for his own amusement.

If no serious thought is given to a production, and choices are either random or stereotyped, the show is serving the people making it rather than the paying audience.

I would like to honor the efforts put in by the cast, who professionally and expertly fulfilled their misguided director. But, unfortunately, the whole production seemed to be put together by someone who had no clear vision for the play and hid behind stereotype rather than thoughtful interpretations of the play's various ethnicities.

This one pushed all my "I want theater to be meaningful" buttons. I could make no sense of the reason for this production