Review: THE MONSTERS at Berkeley Rep

Berkely Rep’s co-production with La Jolla Playhouse of Ngozi Anywanu’s The Monsters is a joyous, heartwarming story of the bond between sister and brother that will want to make you hug your sibling. Both emotionally devastating and rewarding, The Monsters is brilliantly written, superbly acted by Anyanwu and Bay Area–born actor Sullivan Jones (HBO’s The Gilded Age, Slave Play on Broadway), and beautifully staged by Director Tamilla Woodard and her technical crew.

Big is an aging MMA fighter, a proud champion harboring deep resentments over his role as a monster, foisted on him since childhood where he had to fight off his alcoholic father and the many challengers of youthful braggadocio. Years ago, he abandoned his sister Lil, needing to find himself. Through his MMA career he became the monster, isolated and troubled.

Lil reappears, having watched her brother from the shadows. Now struggling herself with meager jobs and horrible living conditions, she desperately needs to connect. At first tentative, the siblings grow closer with Big finally training Lil to become a fighter herself. Through a series of flashbacks, Anyanwu’s beautiful script lovingly portrays their deep bond. Born of the same violent father and different mothers, the half siblings live through the traumas of abandonment, domestic abuse, and the demons of childhood abuse.

Woodard and Anyanwu use the fighting cage as a vehicle for reconnection, survival, and bonding. Both Big and Lil are “starving for everything.” Her star is ascending, his ending. In a searing speech, Big decries being a monster- he’s tired of carrying the mantle. Lil tells him she needed his monster when she was growing up and will now become a monster herself. He will have a new life of possibilities and so will Lil. It’s a redemption story to melt the heart.

Anyanwu and Jones are put through a physical routine here that will blow your mind. Award-winning scenic designer Nina Ball, choreographer Adesola Osakalumi and Mixed Martial Arts Consultant Sijara Eubanks provide the realism required of this piece. Blending humor with the drama, The Monsters is a winner in every sense.

The Monsters continues through May 3rd. Tickets available at berkeleyrep.org or by calling the box office at 510 647-2949.

Photo credit: Kevin Berne