What I liked
References to pop culture were relevant, hilarious, and brought levity to many sensitive topics that Serena brought up. Who could not love Serena’s awesome interpretation of ring girl. The fact that my daughter was so aghast that Serena would use her fingers to blend her makeup, rather than a beauty blender!
What I didn't like
Simple thing: I think it would have improved continuity if Serena had her props closer to her on a table rather than having to go to the side to get them. Some topics were just scratched on the surface rather than fully formed. Serena went deep about talking about her family’s history and relationships with siblings, etc… but when it came to her husband, didn’t get a good feel as to how that evolved. Since a lot of her discussion was about being BIPOC, not knowing where she fit in (white, southeast asian, etc.), what about her psyche was there that she chose a white/jewish mate?
My overall impression
Unabashed, hilarious look into Serena Anis’ life through the recounting of her family’s history, her childhood, adolescence, and venture into acting as a BIPOC with an alphabet soup of ailments. Serena’s performance left me laughing from my gut, almost crying, feeling connected, confused, and sometimes, feeling nothing. Her courage to present herself to the audience, for all her perceived positive and negative physical and psychological characteristics, as her “true” self, shined light to the complexities of growing up and living in our new reality of social fawning and cancel culture. I dare say it may help those who watch her portrayal shed some of their own veils and masks. When a performer makes a slew of pop culture references that resonate with me and my 12-year-old daughter, I’d say that performer has succeeded where many more seasoned performers have not. And, unlike performers who throw everything at a wall to see what sticks, Serena does the same thing but with the intention to show the intricacies of friendships, relationships and all the interactions we have with others… some just bounce off and out of our mind, some stick around for a while and slide away leaving a residue, and some stick permanently forming a lasting impression. Serena’s performance does all of this and more, all mixed up and marinaded, like all of our functioning/malfunctioning brains.
