Chaos theory
The Alley's puzzling The Monster at the Door assumes you paid close attention inhigh school mythology
The Alley Theatre's current season continues with the world premiere production of The Monster at the Door. Penned by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo), the play follows the lives of five individuals as the world gradually crumbles into chaos around them.
The piece has been developed through the Alley's New Play Initiative, which seeks to foster creative collaboration from all angles of theatrical productions.
With its generous pull from ancient mythology, the story weaves a tight web that is often difficult to "get," leaving many audience members feeling as if they dozed off at a crucial moment. Even with the help of my high school mythology lessons and the knowledge I gained studying abroad in Greece, I was only able to identify the presence of the references, as opposed to actually being able to decipher them.
And even after my mom feverishly Googled away on her iPhone, she could only come up with definitions — no connections. All the loose ends made it increasingly difficult to discern what the play was really all about.
That said, it will keep audience members' minds reeling and surely launch many more debates about what Joseph's "monster" really represents.
The Monster at the Door is on the Alley's Neuhaus stage until May 29. Visit the website for ticket information.