If the siblings in playwright Ngozi Anyanwu’s two-hander “The Monsters” at Berkeley Repertory Theatre are indeed the monsters that, in some ways, they see themselves, then we are all monsters.
Big, the older brother, had certain dreams for his future, but has ended up as an accomplished, if not celebrated, mixed martial artist.
He has long since moved away from home, leaving his adoring little sister, Lil, behind. But despite his escape from a troubled home life, and his relative success as a boxer, he struggles to maintain sobriety and find peace within himself.
When Lil suddenly shows up after many years, everything changes. When she was a girl, he was her idol, her shining star; now she wants him to teach her to fight. It’s a way to recapture the very special relationship they once had. And she wants to be like him.
Over the course of years (including flashbacks to the two in childhood when they were troubled, protective big brother and adoring little sister) their relationship goes through ups and downs. Lil too has substance abuse issues. But she becomes tougher, physically stronger, more self-confident, and Big leans into full big-brother mode, struggling to turn her into the athlete that he himself never really wanted to be.
Their brother-sister bond waxes and wanes as the years go by, a bond that seems so precious, but also so fragile. These two need each other, but it’s not a given that they will be able to rise above the challenges of their lives and stay connected.
Directed by Tamilla Woodard, “The Monsters” is a short play—85 minutes—and a lot of the time is taken up with physical exercises and meticulously staged fights on a downstage boxing ring as Lil, under Big’s tutelage, becomes increasingly fit and ambitious. The superb fight choreography is by Adesola Osakalumi.
Less interesting is Lil’s wacky behavior as a kid, and as she grows in self-confidence and determination. Portrayed by the playwright herself, she’s at times downright irritating, trying too hard to be sassy and funny. But as serious, quiet Big, Sullivan Jones beautifully captures his character’s unease with the world, including his life in the ring and his feelings of guilt and responsibility for Lil.
The play— a co-production with La Jolla Playhouse in its West Coast premiere at Berkeley Rep where it was initially developed— transitions smoothly over the course of many scenes, many confrontations. The ways that these intriguing characters rediscover each other, work their way through conflict, come to understand how they’re different and how they’re similar and see each other in a new light—that’s poignant.
With Lil’s antic zaniness and Big’s reticence, “The Monsters” hints at the complexities of growing up, of discovering yourself, of familial attachments and familial disappointments, yet it relies more on physical action than on deeper explorations.
There’s a beautiful, introspective speech by Big close to the end of the play. More of that, please, and maybe something similar for Lil.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s “The Monsters” continues through May 3 at Peet’s Theatre, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. Tickets are $25 to $135 at berkeleyrep.org.