What I liked
I was very impressed by the subtle writing about a subject with the plenitude of this peculiar phenomenon in American culture; it’s difficult to make material like this feel so fresh and novel when it’s almost white noise advertising in Hollywood (I’m an American, so I’m speaking from that context, but this is probably a human universal: kings, queens, gods and so on). I think every starving artist in the audience can begrudging admit to themselves that the self-awareness of the character of Marina is, to some degree, slightly alarming, because you don’t have to travel far in and around Los Angeles to find someone who has lost themselves in their dream and struggle to “make it,” as they say! And that only begs the question, which I believe this play aims to answer; “your lack of making it is not the source of your problems, it’s your obsession that such a thing can save you which is unbecoming of your humanity!”
Mind you, if my take on this is completely off, feel free to correct me where I am mistaken. Nonetheless, this is a potent 30 minute play about a bevy of thinking points that will have you thinking with it (and after you step outside the theater), which is very impressive! Bravo! :)
What I didn't like
Part of me almost wanted this play to be in two acts, because these scenes where really cooking, but this isn’t a complainant because the writing and execution by the actors in this brief amount of time is quite remarkable (nothing really lacking); however, if a longer version where ever to appear, sign me up as soon as the tickets go on sale!
My overall impression
The acting was solid, the writing was inspiring and the experience is quite potent!
Jola Cora finds a way to both expose the lunacy of obsessively desiring the life in the lights and she also shows the burden that every human being carries on their own personal journey, our empirical ego — that movie playing in our heads, so to speak — is quite trivial in the grander scheme of humanity and our potential as a species, without patronizing anyone for wanting to be an artist or an individual. Cora is quite a savant thinker as well as a natural playwright, and in “Siren Call,” this is in full display!
