My overall impression
“Ser”, a one-woman show written and performed by Karen Anzoategui, is a riveting personal narrative that examines Karen’s lacerated relationships with each of her two homes: Los Angeles, and Buenos Aires. She is raised in both places, spending years here then there, and making little headway on a pilgrimage that has a meeting with soccer idol as its destination. Growing up, Karen fights to protect her family from an overbearing dad who she repeatedly compares to James Brown through clever mimicry. Karen eventually learns that she must free herself from the cyclical heartache that a cocky, abusive bastard of a father and a mother with low self-esteem can bring. The back and forth of her upbringing leaves her with few role models save for an over-sexed Argentinian English teacher and a mute. She’s forced to “cut the cord” time and time again.
The sub-plot of Karen’s coming out story was beautifully understated, climaxing in a surprisingly innocent ending that was tasteful yet honest. As a writer, she took the high road on a very tricky issue, neither denying her stance nor obsessively thrusting it down anyone’s throats. There was no shock value—instead, the one-liners were painfully accurate.
My favorite part came last. The monologue just before the ending was absolutely stunning. The entirety of Karen’s performance was spot on, but this section had perfect alliteration, perfect comedic timing, and perfectly pointed enunciation. It gave me an all-over ache, spiritually.
Truly great theater forces its viewers to take thematic messages inside, outside and all around the presented context. Listen well, then, because this revolutionary solo show will make you think (deeply), cry (a little), and laugh (a lot). All in all, I rate this production two thumbs up, five stars, 10 out of 10. My expectations for its success are very high. I excitedly anticipate bigger, broader productions of “Ser”, with a fatter budget, bigger audience, and even wider stage for Karen to speak her truth.
