REVIEW: What Became of Us (Signature Theatre)

Despite how polarizing everything seems these days, the human experience is more often than not slightly different flavors of the same thing. It’s why things like music, art, theatre, and books can be so universally beloved. Languages may change, but the brains all work the same on a baseline level. This applies a good degree to negative spaces too. In Signature’s latest, the season-closing What Became of Us, playwright Shayan Lofti explores this via vague conversation between a pair of siblings each equally — but separately — impacted by the experience of immigration to the United States. Ultimately, it is less of an exploration of the immigrant experience, and more of a meandering love letter to siblinghood disguised thereof.
Book

Lofti’s two-handed play is a 75-minute memory collection, presented primarily as a conversation between siblings (one born in the Old Country, and one born in This Country) with some interspersed vignettes for more significant memories. I found this device tedious, as much of the play consists of:

“..and remember, you said, [X]!”

“right, and then you said [Y] after you had done [Z]!”

back and forth between the two. As much as I do appreciate the realism evoked between the siblings in their reminiscent diatribe — when I see my sister who lives abroad every two years or so it can get pretty similar — from a literary point of view, it creates a monotony that makes the viewer crave more of each characters’ internal points of view. When we get those in bits and pieces throughout the piece, the emotions are at their strongest crescendo. The love the siblings have can be strained at time, but it is never absent of passion. As for the characters themselves, they are particularly interesting and well-envisioned. Older Sibling was born in the Old Country, and becomes a librarian, and Younger Sibling was born some years after in This Country and becomes a more artistic, implied to be non-binary restaurateur. How their paths deviate from the cultural expectations of both the Old Country (via their unseen parents) and This One forms the base of their relationship, and it is explored with intrigue and tact. The ups and downs and milestones of each of their lives represent a bold, realistic arc of history that concludes well, if not a smidge too early. The lack of explicit details about their upbringing is a great choice on Lofti’s part to emphasize the universality of their experience, and despite not being an immigrant myself, made me want to call my sister immediately. 8/10

Acting

The flexibility of the piece is most easily exemplified by the use of alternating casts, known as the “Purple” and “Green” casts. Each representing a different immigrant group: Purple being Latino, Green being East Asian. My performance was Green, so I was given two stellar performances from Stan Kang (Z, from This Country) and Jo Yang (Q, from the Old Country). They had a salty and sweet dynamic that felt super natural, between Yang’s more collected, responsible demeanor and the more electric behavior of Kang. Neither felt particularly “in character”, which in a play as naturalistic as this, is a great thing indeed. 8/10

Production

Ethan Heard’s rustic direction is surprisingly nimble for a set as static as Chika Shimizu’s living room apparatus. So too is the comforting sound design and lighting from Sarah O’Halloran and Collin K. Bills, respectively. 7/10

Viz

The wistful sunset silhouette used in all of Signature’s key art, featuring two young siblings of ambiguous background, is quite on-the-money. The implicit yearning and nostalgia within is abundant in both the piece and the resulting production, and this is represented extremely effectively. This bellows into the performance space in its plush living room aesthetic, playing 20th century soft rock over a vinyl that makes anyone with parents born before 1980 nostalgic for their upbringing. 9/10

Verdict

What Became of Us is a well-crafted tearjerker about cultural heritage and siblinghood that is enjoyably constructed in an intimate, in-the-round space. 32/40