MARE COGNITUM

BY CHRISTA TANDANA

Three roommates with different perspectives are living on the verge of a war, observing protesters from their apartment above. Lena is an action-seeking girl with a wild imagination, Thomas is an atheist who grew up in a Christian family and Jeff is a socially awkward bookworm with a fascination in science. Lena wants to be a part of the protesters below. Out of a sense of helplessness, she resorts to using her imagination as an escape. She and Jeff start their own protests for their own causes, like the existence of Pluto and the Brontosaurus.

While they play, the outside protesters disperse and the bombing starts. There is nothing left to do. Lena once again turns to her imagination and takes Jeff, and eventually Thomas, on a trip to the moon. After several interruptions, they finally land, only to discover that the moon is barren and lifeless. As Jeff and Lena begin to see the earth rising, Thomas’s cell phone rings, bringing him back to reality. Lena pleads with him not to go, but loses.

There were some humorous parts scattered throughout this play. The acting was pretty good from all three actors, but I think the writer tried too hard to make it philosophical. I wouldn’t recommend this Mare Cognitum because it was a bit long and frustrating, mostly due to Lena’s nonsensical reasoning. I think that Lena needs to wake up from her childish dreams and face the world for what it is. Yes, it can be ugly at times, but surely going off to the moon isn’t going to help anyone.

Mare Cognitum is presented by Theatre of the Expendable as part of FringeNYC. For more information visit www.theatreoftheexpendable.org