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‘Loss, life and lemons’: A review of ‘The Disappearance of Jonah
(by Karen F. Mrnarevic - August 19, 2008)
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Image courtesy of Aporia Repertory Company.
Aporia Repertory Company’s production of “The Disappearance of Jonah” runs through Aug. 22 at the New School for Drama Theatre in New York City, as part of the New York International Fringe Festival.
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“She sucks on pain like a lollipop. She can’t get enough,” says Finn, a smart-mouthed high school boy who leaves home to find his brother, Jonah, who disappeared two years ago in New York City. He is referring to his mother, Ann, who, consumed with grief, has deluded herself into thinking that if she just waits patiently, Jonah will someday return.
This small, fragile family is at the center of “The Disappearance of Jonah,” an original play by Darragh Martin, running through Aug. 22 as part of the New York International Fringe Festival. The play was produced by the Aporia Repertory Company, founded in 2007 by a group of Columbia University students, one of whom is Westwood native Liz Grefrath, the producer of “Jonah.”
The one-act play, performed on a minimalist set by actors who undergo only a single costume change throughout the performance, is an allegory-filled modern tragedy about the innate human reluctance to let go of the past and the inevitable pain that goes hand in hand with intense love. Although the theme of the play is fairly dark, there is enough snappy dialogue to keep the plot moving and provide a bit of comic relief during the tenser moments.
As the play begins, Ann is preparing a party to celebrate Jonah’s 21st birthday. Finn, played by Columbia senior Jacob Green, tells her that he is going to New York City to look for Jonah, whom nobody has seen or heard from in two years. Ann, played by equity actor Lori Ann Kee, is predictably stricken with anxiety. Kee’s portrayal of Ann is marked by a twitchy, wide-eyed tension and a child-like refusal to surrender to reality.
The plot moves back and forth through time, calling out one of the show’s main themes – letting go of the past – something that almost every character has a difficult time doing. Although in the present Jonah is gone completely, he is still on stage in almost every scene, sometimes in the background of scenes set in the present, and other times coming forward and acting out scenes from the past. In other instances, Jonah appears as a sort of a spirit, speaking to his brother as his brother searches for him.
The character of Jonah is somewhat erratically, but nonetheless endearingly, rendered by Columbia grad student Jeff Brown. Jonah leaves his hometown in Ohio a starry-eyed idealist ready to face the world in the great big city, and during the course of his freshman year at NYU rapidly morphs into a depressed neurotic who calls to mind Holden Caulfield (of “The Catcher in the Rye”) on amphetamines. The character is written as a bit of a stereotype (the sensitive genius to whom everything is so beautiful it hurts), and in a lot of ways it is more Jonah’s impact on the people who once knew him than his actual personality that make him fascinating. He is the thread that binds all of the characters to one another, sometimes in ways that the characters themselves are unaware of.
One of the best things about the play was the structure of the plot. Scene changes are swift and frequent; and as a result, the viewer’s mind is never given the chance to wander.
The starkness of the set works both for and against the production. It allows more attention to be focused on the characters and their relationships with one another, but at the same time makes it difficult for the actors to find realistic things to do with their bodies and hands during stretches of silence. This makes for some awkward stage direction and seemingly unmotivated movements. The plainness of the set obscures certain elements of the plot, heightening the ambiguity of the play’s message.
On the other hand, the naked stage, with its sporadically placed fiber-board tables and the rare prop or two, allows the viewer to his or her imagination, leaving the details open to interpretation. Whether this is a good or bad thing is up to the individual theatergoer.
Credit is due to Barnard College student Birdy Sahagian for her portrayal of Amy, a sprightly café waitress and performing artist who occasionally dresses like fruit. Sahagian wielded her dry delivery like a comedic weapon, slicing deftly through what was sometimes banal dialogue. Her portrayal of a woman who uses humor to conceal and perhaps heal her own pain was startlingly realistic, and she sculpted a three-dimensional character who was at once intriguing and familiar.
It may have lacked bells and whistles (and a set and costumes), but “The Disappearance of Jonah” was a triumph for various reasons. For one, it featured college students playing college students. The script, though based on a few fairly hackneyed concepts (sensitive genius spirals into depression; big city mesmerizes and swallows up small-town kids; boy, it sure is hard letting go of the past… etc.), it approaches the themes in an inventive way, and leaves the viewer satisfied. There are even some surprises of the “no way!” variety.
The last performance is Friday, Aug. 22 at 5:15 p.m. at the New School for Drama Theatre, located at 151 Bank Street, in New York City.
For more information about Aporia Repertory Company, including future shows and performance dates, visit http://www.aporiatheater.com/
Karen F. Mrnarevic's e-mail address is Mrnarevic@northjersey.com.
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