My Name is Rachel Corrie. That's Nice.

Considering all the hype about My Name is Rachel Corrie being "controversial" and "left-wing propaganda," I expected to walk out either with a bleeding heart torn to pieces, or in a steaming, infuriated rage. But, neither happened, and I felt disappointed, in an inadequate sort of way, like being unable to ogle over pouting puppies in a pet shop when everyone around you talks of taking one home.

If not for the play which hijacked her name, Rachel Corrie would have been known in an historical footnote as a tenacious American pro-Palestinian activist who was brutally crushed by an Israeli bulldozer while attempting to protect a Palestinian house from destruction. Quite a reputation for eternity. Her death meant real implications for the politics of the Middle East, bringing fame and infamy to the International Solidarity Movement, which was then active in promoting the Palestinian cause in the Gaza Strip.

My Name is Rachel Corrie refreshingly presents to the public sphere the full life of Corrie - everything that predated her untimely passing - as expressed in her own eclectic and passionate writings. The 90-minute monologue incorporates everything from Corrie's fanciful day-dream lists of "Five People to Hang Out With in Eternity" to rambling, polarized emails to her parents regarding her experiences in Gaza. Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner edited Corrie's poetry and prose to flesh out the intricacies of her character and reveal the individual who stood behind the mask of a martyr to some and traitor to others. If you're hung up, or enraptured, by the politics, then you're missing the point.

What makes this story unique is that you know what happens in the end, and there is sparse action which builds up to what some may call the climax, at her death. What the audience learns, however, is that Rachel Corrie was not only a vociferous pro-Palestinian advocate, but a creative, free-thinking, outspoken, witty, insightful, artistic person, who expressed herself profoundly through her thoughts and writings. "We have a very involved mother," she describes, "[…] overly involved sometimes. This means we have to claw our way toward autonomy - kick and scream and yell to get some space to grow in." Bree Elrod's emotive portrayal of Corrie - a dramatic recitation of sorts - draws the depth and passion of her words.

So she was a bright, intense kid who thought critically about global issues. She cared about people, and had a way of expressing herself in words. An impressive girl. But, if politics are not the key, then does an exposé of her life justify an hour and a half in the limelight?

The performance presents a sneak peek at the college girl next door. She's cute, wears green underwear, and keeps a messy room. Listening to excerpts from her diaries, hearing her inner voice when speaking with a former boyfriend, prying into her archived emails, I felt almost pedophilic, like a peeping Tom peering-in on a ninth-grade slumber party.

If near the end of the play you still wonder if the intent of the editors is to dramatize her crushing death, the final scene features a home video of an adorable 10 year-old Rachel, speaking at a commission to end world hunger. Had they wanted to highlight her demise, the last scene would have been reminiscent of Jurassic Park, when the shorn leg of the lawyer thuds onto one of the Land Cruisers, only replace "T-rex" with "bulldozer."

Like most even-marginally interesting people, Corrie's life was not one of black and white, but of bright and complex hues. A blue blanket partially concealing red sheets on stage left frames the first scene with a blue jacket covering a red shirt on stage right (the blue-red-red-blue structure makes for a tight affect). The Rachel Corrie in the middle of it all (wearing a blue top and red-checkered pants) who tells her whimsical anecdotes and darkest secrets has opinions which are intricate and alive, not bland and simplistic. She is defined by contrasting color.

But, isn't everyone else? People are complex, and what My Name is Rachel Corrie reminds us is that our protagonist was no exception. However, if our focus is not on her tragic death, then what makes her story - and the play with her namesake - so special?