Style Weekly
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Race-ish
by Caitlin Dineen
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"N*W*C" is a show that will make you laugh, cry and, most important, feel extremely uncomfortable. Because the show opens with racial slurs being repeated over and over (you'll quickly figure out what the title stands for), squeamishness is expected. It's the only way to ease people into the show, performer Rafael Agustin says, by "tackling it right away."
Agustin, along with college friends Allan Axibal and Miles Gregly, take the audience through the lives of three guys going through life as minorities. Coming from different backgrounds, they relate some pivotal moments: "the summer Miles was black"; the time Axibal thought he was Tom Cruise (complete with the underwear scene from "Risky Business"); and how Agustin didn't know he was an illegal immigrant.
"One race, the human race," is the message, Axibal says. There are moments that start with laughter and end with silence. Not because the show isn't funny, but rather because there are times when the impact of what's discussed is so real. "Do not be afraid," Agustin urges, the title is the hardest thing to get over. When it comes to life, it's "about being individual," Gregly says, "and finding yourself." And all three are out to celebrate the diversity of everyday life. "N*W*C" comes to the Modlin Center March 28 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8-$30. Call 289-8980 for more information. — Caitlin Dineen
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