The Play's the Thing

Many theatrical events claim to be "timely," especially since the 2016 presidential election. There seems to be a competition to see what can be the most "culturally relevant." (Even Michael Kahn tried to shoehorn Trumpism into his Hamlet .) Regardless of its faults, JC Lee's Relevance , which just opened as part of MCC's season at The Lucille Lortel Theater, is one of the more timely, or should I say, relevant, plays I've seen lately but that doesn't mean it has anything particularly new to say. Lee does a terrific job highlighting some of the issues that have sprung up in the last five years or so in regards to social media, the idea of going viral, and how we reach people and create followings, or, as the internet would put it, our "brands." Yes, now that everyone has the internet at their fingertips, a camera, and the ability to create social media accounts, we all have a voice where we may not have in the past. We can all believe we ...