|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
“Anon(ymous),” playwright Naomi Iizuka’s take on Homer’s “Odyssey,” offers captivating images, intriguing characters and beautiful ensemble work. Much of it, however, is mercilessly scattered by trying to force it onto Homer’s framework.
I hope someday we will have enough of artists hijacking classic works for their own purposes. Do modern refugees bear a resemblance to Odysseus’s 10-year wandering? Absolutely. They also bear a resemblance to the millions upon millions of people uprooted from their homes by this messy, violent century.
Remove it completely from its Homeric allusions, and this play contains some engaging personalities. Anon (Zhang Bai Han) is separated from his mother, Nemasani (Natalie To), after their boat of refugees is destroyed by a terrible storm. Anon is resuscitated on a beach by Calista (Isabelle Polito), a charmingly ditzy American who assumes that her heroics entitle her to keep Anon as a pet boyfriend. Her pursuit is interrupted by Naja (Qian Zhang), an enchanting goddess who rescues Anon from Calista.
We have the seeds of a great story here, but already the cracks are showing. Calista is funny but cartoonish (as are all Americans in the play). Anon’s plight is all too common and relatable, but is some goddess going to deus ex machina him from all his travails? And in the back of our minds, aren’t we all just checking the Homeric plot points from our college lit classes?
To be clear, none of these aspersions are meant for the players of The Pear. Under director Vinh G. Nguyen and fight director Bessie Zolno, the ensemble delivers balletic shipwrecks, terrifying bomb scares and edgy fights performed to perfection (and the puppet dolphins are an irresistible addition).
As Anon, Zhang Bai Han has an engaging way of being stunned into frozen postures by the wild goings-on, and then, just as suddenly bursting into action (a very teen-boy combination). Qian Zhang’s portrayal of the goddess is sweet and beautiful. Raven Douglas is pure sass and vinegar as Anon’s traveling partner Pascal.
The Vaughn-Muncks, husbands Christian and Zach, both show a talent for divine creepiness. Christian is exactly like the suspect in most true crime podcasts as the sweat shop boss Makus, demanding that Nemasani abandon her grief for her lost son and marry him.
Inevitably, the Cyclops appears, in the form of Zyclo (Zach Vaughn-Muncks), a one-eyed butcher who specializes in brain sausage, and his Hannibal Lecter vibe has the patrons edging toward the exits. He’s joined by his pet bird, performed by Efsun Alper Sweet with a Vegas-style assemblage of metallic loungeware and an hilarious repertoire of tics and screeches.
Actor Dan C., meanwhile, gave the blind restaurant owner Ali an ingratiating quirkiness, and Kristy Aquino was equally engaging as Nasreen.
I also enjoyed the inventiveness of lighting designer Raven Manalo, who at one point simulated a passing vehicle using a series of lights placed beneath the seats. The 90-minute, no intermission format was also appreciated (and possibly a trend), allowing spectators to stay fully invested in the action.
It could be that the fatal flaw of the play is a matter of focus. Take all these interesting characters through a more realistic narrative and you might have something deeper to say about the always relevant subject of refugees and immigrants. Take the other fork into Greek wilderness (as the Coen Brothers did with “O Brother Where Art Thou”), and you might get a delicious sendup. Iizuka seemingly wants it all, and doesn’t really get it.
Recently, Steven Spielberg warned Hollywood that it needs to invest more in original stories and slow down on mega-movie sequels. I have to agree, and while we’re at it, let’s try using our imaginations and stop riding ancient coattails.
“Anon(ymous)” runs through May 3 at The Pear Theatre, 1110 La Avenida St., Suite A, Mountain View. Tickets are $45. thepear.org or 650-254-1148.
Bay Area veteran equity-focused educator takes helm at Redwood City School DistrictApril 21, 2026 10:46 am
