NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
washington square news Vol. 40, No. 56
tuesday, may 2, 2012
nyunews.com
Occupy takes NYC on May Day
Study points to improved prospects for seniors By Emily Yang
By Tatiana Baez
For CAS alumna Elissa Pineda, the process of finding a job was overwhelming. Moving to Austin, Texas after graduating last December, Pineda said she walked miles upon miles to job interviews for positions that did not appeal to her. After seven months of research, she found a job in the field she wanted. But this year’s college graduates can expect better job prospects at entry-level positions, according to a recent survey by a consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Using the information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and surveys and responses from human resource departments at 4,600 employers nationwide, the firm published its annual College Grad Job Outlook about two weeks ago. The study attributed the economic rebound to the source of the job growth, pointing to the fact that
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Jonathan Tan/WSN
Thousands of demonstrators marched to Wall Street from Union Square yesterday.
Occupy Wall Street, union workers, immigrant coalitions and student movements rallied yesterday in celebration of May Day. Also known as International Workers’ Day, May Day is a recognized worldwide event on May 1 that celebrates workers’ past struggle for the eight-hour work day. OWS joined celebrations yesterday throughout New York City, which culminated in a huge rally in Union Square with city officials, immigrant and organized worker group advocates and musical guests such as Tom Morello, Dan Deacon, Das Racist and Immortal Technique. After the protest in the afternoon, thousands of demonstrators marched to Wall Street.
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Christopher Marlowe reintroduced to theatergoers in new play By Olivia George “Once upon a time,” begins Christopher Marlowe, played by Christopher Fahmie, kicking off this filmnoir spectacle with one of many clichés. In “Christopher Marlowe’s Chloroform Dreams,” Marlowe is the lovelorn private eye, armed with only a pen against a world of henchmen and heroin. Katharine Sherman’s new play includes every convention of old detective movies, topped off with the tipped fedora on the hero’s head. Some performances are best enjoyed with no prior knowledge of the play. This is not one of them. Before attending, there are a few things theatergoers should know: the show is based on real events; it is based only loosely on those events (Marlowe’s real life colleague, Thomas Kyd, translates to the young, bespectacled tagalong Tommy the Kid); and Marlowe met a premature end when he sustained a stab wound to the head. This is not exactly common knowledge, but then again Sherman is catering to a very select audience. The theater itself, The Red Room, further caters to a select group, with only about 40 seats, and the people that fill them all seem to know each other and the performers. The room, black and red and chipping all
over, is reminiscent of the East Village in the ’80s — a charmingly desolate bohemia, when everyone was an artist or a poet. Everyone in this play seems to be a poet as well, though Marlowe is the only good one. This is both appropriate and unfortunate. While his prowess with language entrances, the play suffers when he leaves. After his silvertongued verses about a girl who pricks her finger on her sewing wheel, it becomes difficult to listen to the girl as she shoots up and painfully spouts, “It feels like pins and needles and then everything goes numb.” Too many clichés appear where they have no business in the story of such an acclaimed wordsmith. It is possible that Sherman fell back on them because of an incomplete understanding of Marlowe. This is demonstrated by her use of Marlowe’s most famous poem, “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love.” The play’s Marlowe frequently quotes the work in an attempt to prove his deep affections for the woman he loves. The poem, however, turns Marlowe into a lustful man hoping to seduce a woman for whom he cares little. “Christopher Marlowe’s Chloroform Dreams” is playing through May 5, Wednesday through Saturday, at the Red Room in the Kraine Theater, located at 85 E.
Fourth Street. Tickets are $16 in advance and $18 at the door. Olivia George is a staff writer. Email her at theater@nyunews.com.
via offoffbroadway.broadwayworld.com
Playwright Katharine Sherman incorporates an abundance of clichés in her new play.