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Mono

Author: Steven Tanenbaum

Reviewer: Jennifer Womack for Theatre Reviews Limited

Where else can you have the pleasure of smoking a cigarette in a theatre expect at Surf Reality? If anything is original, it has to be "Mono," a play by Steven Tanenbaum, which is celebrating its one-year anniversary. If you’re looking for avante-guard theatre and not the ordinary song and dance, report directly to the Lower East Side for this raunchy, but astounding show.

"Mono" is set in a bar located in the Lower East Side of New York City. The audience members are patrons of this bar, just as the actors are. The play reveals everyday (or every night) situations that would happen in this bar, which would normally go un-noticed. Tanenbaum magnifies these situations, which make Surf Reality a stimulating place to be.

Sitting in the bar is a mute (Florina Petcu) who writes notes to her sister (Tara Pesce) a rehab dropout on a small chalkboard. The mute’s only friend is a French sock puppet, which she is secretly in love with. It sounds extremely unlikely, but it fits perfectly into the puzzle. Petcu does an amazing job of keeping the audience laughing and wanting more.

Then there is the odd urbanologist (Yafit Hallely) who takes spit samples, and earwax samples from the audience. This character is the most interesting of the thirteen because her thoughts and reasons are so abnormal and unusual, one cannot help but anticipate the next time she will talk. I cannot imagine anyone playing this exciting character but Hallely, she is superb and an absolute joy.

There’s also the feisty waitress (Kerri Tucker) who is from Trinidad and is bitchy to all of her customers. She is the other actor’s bar "wench" as well the audiences’ throughout the show.

With the exception of a few one-dimensional characters including the ex-manager (J.R. Dziengel), the sado-nanny (Inbal Samuel), and the ex-fiancé (Tricia McAlpin), the cast is lively, entertainingly bizarre, and keeps the audience on their toes.

A large part of the success of the success of "Mono" has to do with the audience interaction. The audience is a part of the drama whether it’s kissing Lawrence Jansen’s neck, telling the rest of the room if you were popular in high school, or dancing with the ultimate nerd (Adi Terer). This makes for simple fun, which is just as exciting as going to the bar yourself.

Putting all amusement aside, director and writer Tanenbaum incorporated a wonderful thing; the verisimilitude of the characters plays with audiences’ emotions. I almost wanted the get up from where I was sitting and give the doormat (Erin Carey) a huge hug for the way she was being treated by the guy she was in love with. Seeing these characters in action almost makes the audience wish they existed in real life. I would love to go out for a drink with some of these people because even though they are odd people, they would offer me a crazy but memorable experience.

If you’re looking for some stimulating fun on a Friday night, take the F train to Second Avenue and stop by Surf Reality. It is an experience you do not want to miss if you’re bored of typical theatre. Even those who don’t like theatre will surely rave after leaving the show. However, I would not suggest taking your parents or grandparents to see the show. Will I see this show again? Absolutely!

Production information