Julliard - 2017

by Charles Mee
Directed by Jesse Perez
Sound Design - Broken Chord
Assistant Sound Design - Max Silverman

Newlywed husband Vijay takes leave of his bride Shizuko on their wedding day in order to find for her a "flower of heaven" to match the one she was mysteriously given by a wedding guest. As he searches for this elusive gift, he is drawn into a series of distracting encounters, thanks to his friend Abdi. As the title indicates, the action occurs in Queens and features a multicultural ensemble that reflects the ethnic diversity of that borough.

The show is inspired by Kottayan Tampurani's kathakali play, The Flower of Good Fortune, although in typical Mee fashion, the playwright interpolates material from numerous other sources, including texts by Homer, James Joyce, Valerie Solanas, and numerous Internet blogs. The piece ruminates on the meanings of love and responsibility, often in a whimsical and humorous fashion. Several characters -- from street peddlers to doctors -- put forth their opinions on the subjects, with Abdi given some of the choicer speeches, which he uses to manipulate Vijay into making just one more small detour from his agenda.