What I liked
Jonatan’s ability to revel in the silliness of street performing, contrast it with his personal tragedies and the risks of sexual exploitation he saw around him, was masterful. Every part of it was right behind his eyes as he interacted with the audience, brought us into the space as he danced for us, just like the people he met on the streets of Spain.
What I didn't like
The call to action at the end landed a little sourly, as it implies a universality to the message, which I could not personally relate to. Jonatan’s own call to action happens right at the start of the play, which pushes forward quickly after that. Jonatan doesn’t really explain or display what his life was like before leaving Hungary, or what the job he quit even was. His mission to Spain was not in service of getting a job there or changing into a new industry, but seemed to be impulsive and completely unplanned. This did not bother me at the time, as the spiritual call that brought Jonatan to Spain does not need to be understood by the audience, we only need to know that Jonatan felt it, and felt it deeply, and on this, the play excels.
However, at the end of the story, when Jonatan tells us to follow our own callings into perilous unknowns, I, at least, found myself pretty easily saying no, I personally would not put my life in fate’s hands so easily, open myself up to such vulnerability, sight unseen. His story is a little too specific, too tied to his unique emotional impulse and desire to feel a verve for life, for me to read a universal application.
My overall impression
It was a very moving performance, deeply personal and deeply emphatic. Jonatan’s frenetic, at times manic movement captures the feeling of joy and fullness of life he felt, exhilaration and terror, as he fulfilled the spiritual calling that brought him to Spain.
