Review: JONAH at Studio Theatre

There is expert craftsmanship and technical polish in the production of Jonah, now playing at the always professional Studio Theatre, but there is also a feeling of detachment and insularity in this play by Rachel Bonds. The themes of parental neglect, abuse by a stepparent, the fight for fulfillment of ambition, and awareness/phases of sexual development  have been dealt with so many times in the past that it would be refreshing if these themes were presented in a manner that compelled an individual response of identification, understanding, and sympathy.

This often-insightful play gets caught up in the problem of the modern play which often believes that  being “disturbing” and “psychological” is enough to constitute a solid play. Lack of catharsis and/or a transformative experience that arises from a tautly crafted play can often result in a pretentious, aggravating, and isolated theatre-going experience.

A tentative interpretation of the play could be that the men portrayed in the play are aspects of the psyche of the main character, Ana, --as the character of Ana is trying to have self-control over her repressed memories as is the Jonah character---while the character of Danny May represent Ana’s repressed memories.

Director Taylor Reynolds has staged the four actors with ergonomic skill on the thrust stage of the Milton Theatre, and she shows respect for Ms. Bonds’ text but, perhaps, too much so------for the pace of the play could be sped up a bit.

The main thrust of the play seems to be that the ambitious Ana (actress Ismenia Mendes) is trying to work hard for success in her school when she meets the character of Jonah ( Rohan Malitera) who exacerbates her feelings of loss of self -control in her thinking process and her repressed sexuality/memories . Soon, the playwright Rachel Bonds explores the sexual abuse of Ana’s stepbrother (Quinn M. Johnson), Ana’s sexual relations with her stepbrother and goes on to explore the character of Stephen (Louis Reyes McWilliams) who is seemingly a bit more well-adjusted (whatever that means --in this highly relativistic play).

Actress Ismenia Mendes portrays the main character of Ana with control and authority. Mendes is particularly effective in her scenes of remembering her past. I wondered if  the actress was told to deliver each line in the same monotone by the director or was it an individual choice? In any event, no variegation in speaking delivery made for an insular protagonist/main character.

Rohan Maletira was effective as the namesake of the play ---Jonah .

As Steven, Louis Reyes McWilliams delivered a refreshing performance that was full of much needed energy.

Quinn M. Johnson, as the angry and horribly abused Danny,  was superb in his quiet as well as volatile moments.

The style of writing by Rachel Bonds is written with dexterity but it mirrors everyday speaking to such a degree that every other word is “like” ---which is aggravating enough in real life. I often wondered why I was supposed to care about any of these characters and, if I am not supposed to care about these characters  ---why should anybody become invested in these characters?

Fine scenic design by Sibyl Wickersheimer helps to add an involving and more interactive intimate feel to the proceedings but even the details of the design could become murky as I was never sure what was literal or merely in the mind of the protagonist, Ana. If the playwright intended this, there could be confusion between the differing sequences of the play.

Lighting design by Andrew Cissna is beautifully handled.

Running time: One hour and fifty minutes with no intermission

Jonah runs through April 19, 2026, at the Studio Theatre located at 1501 14th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20005.

Photo credit: Ismenia Mendes and Louis Reyes McWilliams in Studio Theatre's production of Jonah.