Theatre in Review: Chimera (HERE/Under the Radar)

	Suli Holum. Photo: Trevor J. Martin

The things one learns at the theatre -- for example, there's chimerism, which is the state of having two different sets of DNA in one body. (I didn't believe in it until I Googled the term and found numerous references.) Jennifer Samuels, the protagonist of Chimera, is a prime example of chimerism -- a fact that eludes her until medical tests reveal that her son suffers from a minor heart ailment. The boy's father tests negative for the syndrome's genetic markers, and so does Jennifer, at first. The second test reveals the presence of the additional DNA, or, as the narrator suggests, the remains of "the sister she ate like so much cake."

There's not much going on, narratively speaking, in Chimera, except that Jennifer discovers her condition, is deeply shaken by it, and, feeling responsible for her son's rather minor health issues, flees. Suli Holum, the sole performer, portrays Jennifer, the boy, and a nameless narrator, whose cheery manner and thick Midwestern accent ("throbbing" is pronounced "thraaaabing") carries more than a hint of provocation. There's plenty to provoke; as written by Deborah Stein, who conceived Chimera with Holum, the piece has its fingers on all available hot buttons, including questions of sexual identity, society's treatment of the disabled, and the meaning of personhood when applied to the unborn -- not to mention the troubling issue of what it is that makes each of us an individual. (At one point, Holum dismisses the notion of a soul, then more or less dares us to agree with her, noting sardonically that only so-called secular humanists attend performances at downtown theatres like HERE.) She keeps intimating that, no matter what sort ideas one holds on these issues, science has a way of reducing them to so many caveman attitudes. Or, as Holum says, "You people are only interested in biology when it suits you."

Chimera could be a real conversation starter -- personally, I think it should be performed for the current crop of Republican presidential candidates; I'd love to know what Rick Santorum made of it. In its current state, however, it is more frustratingly allusive than thoroughly thought-provoking. So many issues are raised -- but not followed through on -- that the text amounts to a collection of bullet points, an outline for a more complex piece. Stein and Holum want to shake us out of our received ideas, but, before any point has a chance to land, they're already off, exploring another line of thought; as a result, Chimera remains a maddeningly elusive experience.

There's no question Holum is a gifted performer, the kind of actress who commands your attention even when sitting in the audience, trying to pass herself off as a paying patron. She also is super-skilled at investing a line with multiple layers of unexpressed meaning. And the production benefits from a finely realized design, including Jeremy Wilhelm's eerily perfect all-white kitchen, which is packed with visual surprises; James Clofelter's pristine lighting; Tara Webb's costumes, which mix and match Holum's casual white pants and shirt with frillier, more ladylike accessories; and James Sugg's sound design, which includes all sorts of everyday sounds, including food being sliced, a dripping faucet, a garbage disposal, and the beating of a heart. Of particular note is the video design of 404 Media (Kate Freer and David Tennant), which ranges from close-ups of cotton swabs to images of the cosmos.

Everything about Chimera is done with assurance, but I left the theatre wanting more. This is the rare performance piece that has the ability to rattle the cages of viewers on all sides of the political spectrum. I wish Stein and Holum would rise to the occasion and really get on our nerves.--David Barbour