Interested in society’s relationship with the media, Dr. David Weiss, the Department Chair for the University of New Mexico’s Communication and Journalism Department, spends his time researching media discourse, political and religious communication and the media and popular culture industries. In addition to research, Dr. Weiss is an Associate Professor within the Communication and Journalism Department. There, he teaches courses in strategic communication, political communication and media studies.
Weiss got his PhD from UNM in 2005. He is also an alumni of Cornell University and the University of Oregon. Between graduating from college and going back to school for a master's degree, Weiss lived in New York City for 17 years. While in NYC, he was an executive at several of the country's largest advertising agencies. Though he was extremely busy, he did have time to go to several plays. So, when we asked him to name his top five plays and why, this is what he said:
“Angels in America” by Tony Kushner
“The first time I saw this show on Broadway, in 1993, I was riveted to my seat. (During the curtain call, while everyone around me was giving a thunderous standing ovation, I literally could not get up.) It was like a lightning bolt going through my head and my heart. The urgency of the play during that political moment (the peak of the AIDS crisis in the US), the brilliance of the writing, the depth and breadth of scholarship that informed the issues explored in the play, and the humor and passion animating all of it — well, there was just nothing like it, before or since.”
“Hamilton” by Lin-Manuel Miranda
“I was fortunate to be able see this show on Broadway as well, although by time I got tickets, it was 2017, and the play had been running for several years, so the original cast members had already moved on to other projects. But no matter. This play, too, is a brilliant and intellectually challenging — as well as witty — tour de force, with the added benefits of irresistible and inventive music, lyrics and choreography. Anyone interested in American history on any level — or, for that matter, in the American musical — needs to see this show and experience its revolutionary retelling of our nation's founding and the individuals who made it happen. Another show that takes your breath away and leaves you shaken to your core. I listen the cast recording several times a year. It never gets old.”
“RENT” by Jonathan Larson
“I've seen this show off-Broadway, on Broadway and on the big screen, and I'm very excited that I'll get to see it again next month at the Popejoy. Like Angels in America, which preceded it by just a few years, it captures a moment in US/New York City life (and also the 1990s AIDS crisis, among many other things) in a way that is fresh, exciting, youthful, and tragic. And the music! Try seeing RENT without "Seasons of Love" or "Take Me or Leave Me" lodging in your head.”
In no particular order:
“Sweeney Todd” and “Sunday in the Park with George” by Stephen Sondheim
“Although I don't love all of Sondheim's plays (I could take or leave Company, for example), these two are all-time favorites of mine. In both of these shows, Sondheim looks at issues of love and betrayal (and, in the case of Sweeney Todd, grisly murder) through music and lyrics that are both intellectual and heartbreaking, while leavened with wit. I've listened to the original cast recordings of each play hundreds of times, and yet I still tear up at certain moments during the songs "Finishing the Hat" (Sunday) and "Pretty Women" (Sweeney). Both manage to be emotional roller-coasters without ever being sappy or sentimental.”
Luisa Pennington is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted by email at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @_lpennington_.
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