Alyssa Frey, Andy Kallok, Shane Weikel and Angela Beyer (Photo by Paul Rubenstein)
Reviewed by Martίn Hernández
City Garage Theatre
Through March 16
RECOMMENDED
Toting a battered suitcase, a confused and exhausted man wanders on stage, seating himself on a multi-level set festooned with shoes. Carting their own assorted baggage, literal and symbolic, an equally bewildered group of people enter and form a straight line upstage, leaning into each other for support – or an awkward group hug? Meandering about the stage like lost lambs, they eventually don the shoes while freeze-framing to the rhythm of the uncredited industrial-inspired soundscape. Thus begins a surreal journey that serves as a lament for unexpected loss, a skewering of global capitalism, and – perhaps – a metaphor for what awaits the U.S. as it embarks on its potential imperial collapse.
Inspired by his country’s 2012 financial crisis, Greek playwright Andreas Flourakis’ script, translated by Eleni Drivas, offers no definite setting, character list, or plot to speak of. It is not so much a play as a series of statements, ranging from the humorous to the despairing, about what a perfect new country might look like to the citizens whose old one has gone bankrupt. Director Frédérique Michel has apparently crafted an absurdist setting and cryptic characters into a sometimes confusing yet compelling narrative that depicts reluctant migrants in a quest for a new home.
“We have to find another country, and fast,” one bemoans. “And become immigrants?” is another’s querulous response. For folks like these, seemingly privileged Europeans whose image of immigrants may be that of an invading dark-skinned horde, “having to become an immigrant is the worst.” “Horrible,” another declares. As they fitfully come to grips with a situation that they and their stalwart nation never dreamed of, they reflect on what they want a new nation to look like (“I want a country in which the weak can survive.” “I want a country without money.” “I want a country with leopards and toucan birds.”)
One clueless couple (Angela Beyer and Alyssa Frey) want a lush country “full of snow in the winter”, while an equally naïve one (Alyssa Ross and Liam Galaz Howard) wants someplace safe for children they don’t yet have. While an elderly couple (Martha Duncan and Bo Roberts) ponders how they will survive their old age, an angry young man (Daniel Strausman) declares he wants no old people in his new country. An upbeat younger man (Shane Weikel) and a downtrodden older one (Andy Kallok) form a friendly bond while a lovestruck pair (Lenka Janischova Shockley and David E. Frank) seem oblivious to their sad situation — perhaps a coping mechanism belying their fear.
Designer Josephine Poinsot’s black costumes with red accessories bear the symbolic colors for anarchist movements, apropos for folks devoid of a nation state and harboring conflicting views. Anthony M. Sannazzaro’s video projections, from a cloudy grey storm to a lone seagull set against a clear blue sky, mirror the group’s bizarre sojourn.
Michel’s crafty artful staging befits the nature of this lost tribe, for example, cast members meander on stage as they sport bright red umbrellas, while elsewhere the practices of different religions are utilized in a scene that calls for prayer. Some members of the ensemble deliver uneven performances, perhaps due to lines Michel has assigned to them that seem incongruous with their characters. But one telling line would be appropriate for any of the characters to utter: “We’re a group of indignant, frustrated people. We’re not a county.” If that is not a suitable definition of a country, I do not know what is.”
City Garage Theatre, at Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica; Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 4 pm; thru March 16. https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/city-garage/i-want-a-country Running time: 65 minutes.
