What I liked
Peerada Meemalayath and Verenice Zuniga gave fully committed and emotional performances using their entire bodies to express themselves as well as their voices. Ramon Garcia was chilling as a man with a seemingly “nice” exterior that hid the darkest of souls. His speech which equated being consumed by fire as a metaphor for human trafficking was a wonderful piece of writing. Hearing three languages spoken throughout the performance gave more authenticity to the piece. Even without interpretation of the dialogue, the emotion of what the characters were saying was clear. The small set with movable walls was used effectively, especially during the “prison cells” dance sequence. I also loved the simplicity of using sheer fabric to represent fire. Well acted and directed overall.
What I didn't like
It was too short! I was completely involved in the story and then it ended abruptly. I wanted to know more about the women, more about what became of them, more about the people who lost them, more about what could have/can be done about this horrific situation. But then again, maybe the point is … these abductees just disappear. Still, I think the play could be expanded into a longer piece. I also would have liked more choreography. The movement/dance numbers were the best and most unique part. A longer version can expand on those as well.
Finally, and this is not a criticism of the play itself, but there was a professional photographer taking pictures during the performance I saw. Their shutter was very loud and this was VERY distracting, especially since they took a ton of photos during the climatic “fire dance” sequence. I understand the producers want photos of the show, but my advice is don’t do that during a performance. It really pulled me out of the moment. Do that kind of stuff during rehearsals.
My overall impression
This is a well done and powerful show that tackles a difficult subject in a very creative way. And when I say difficult, I mean it’s difficult to watch what happens to the women in this show because we all know it’s something that happens for real every day, even if it hasn’t happened to anyone we know personally. Trafficked 2.0 handles this in a unique way. All the scenes of brutality are presented with mood lighting, music, movement and dance. This enables the audience to be affected by the emotion of what’s happening, without turning away from the horror. It’s a brilliant way to present the subject matter and something I really haven’t seen before.
