Jeanie (a fanatical and dogged Crystal Finn), the protagonist in MCC Theater’s “ANON,” works full time trolling the internet spinning conspiracy theories in “Biden’s America in 2024.” Neither her husband Michael (a supportive yet concerned Andrew Garman) nor her teenage daughter Delia (a rebellious and aware Izabel Mar) understand Jeanie’s TikTok obsession (she posts from her car) and find themselves abandoned and dismissed. Our protagonist’s rants against the establishment would drive an interesting plot on their own were it not for the gay couple who move in across the street from her and placed a “gay pride flag right – a big one – right outside of their house.”

Adam’s (Jeff Biehl) husband Will (an agitated and suspicious Jeremy Shamos) wonders “Why is that flag up before the blinds are up? Before the kitchen is unpacked?” Adam explains, “Julian and Lucia sent it to us. Unlike unpacking a kitchen, this is a simple easily accomplished task. There was already flag hardware in place.” Will hates the flag, especially after discovering Jeanie’s feed on social media which is anything but accepting of anything overtly gay: “Be as gay as you want to be inside your home” is Jeanie’s TikTok mantra. Adam feels Jeanie is not a real threat given her small number of followers, but Will is worried enough to purchase a Glock and record an accusation on the same social media feed used by Jeanie saying that she is stealing the flag, that she has confessed, and that he will post it with ‘link in bio.’

This is the conflict that drives the plot of ANON and raises important and enduring questions about online spaces that intensify conflict, about where the line is between belief and harm, about whether people (in this case, Will) can resist mirroring the behavior they condemn. How can people survive in a community where someone (Jeanie) decides who has the right to be public about the identity of others? When one member of a family becomes radicalized, how do the other members react? These are complicated questions with no easy answers and playwright Anne Washburn does not attempt to provide those answers.

Under Anne Kauffman’s direction, the members of the cast bring searing believability and authenticity to their characters. Kudos to set designer dots for the minimalist kitchen which provides the space where both families attempt to “unpack” their belief systems, their world views, their fears, and their resulting actions to themselves and others. Cha See’s lighting design and Tei Blow’s sound design add additional dimension to the setting.

Jeanie’s uncontrollable rage erupts as the play ends leaving the audience to decide whether she will confront Will and Adam with their uprooted flag waving or whether perhaps Will chooses to employ the newly acquired Glock already in their house thus using the same methods the play sets up against Jeanie.