4th Play - 7/4/23 - Samsara by Lauren Yee

I’m not sure exactly how I’d heard of Lauren Yee before, but I had definitely heard her name. Turns out her plays have been produced all over Chicago, so not really surprising. Why this play? Because I had a copy of it, and I wanted to read it. I knew NOTHING at all about this play - it was fun to dive in with no preconceived notions.

Summary: "Katie and Craig are having a baby… with a surrogate… who lives in India. A month before the baby’s due date, Craig reluctantly travels to the subcontinent, where he meets Suraiya, their young, less-than-thrilled surrogate. As all three “parents” anxiously wait for the baby to be born, flights of fancy attack them from all sides, in the form of an unctuous Frenchman and a smart-mouthed fetus. A whimsical take on modern day colonialism." (New Play Exchange)

Loved: This play reminds me of Sarah Ruhl’s work - playful, whimsical, and wonderfully odd. The desire to have a baby more than anything by the two main characters feels truthful, if a little absurd, which is, I think, what the playwright is saying. One wonders if Craig and Katie are really ready for a child, or should even be together as the play unfolds. The imaginary child Amit is precocious and delightful, and his relationship with Suraiya is fun. Also, I loved the totally random Frenchman who comes into Katie's imaginary life, who turns out to be not so random after all. What a fun and whimsical illustration of Katie's psyche! We don't quite know what is real and what isn't, and for the most part, that is delightful.

Things I didn’t Love: Once again I am a little disappointed in the ending of a play. I think the idea of what happens in the ending actually does work, but for me it seems to happen too quickly. *** SPOILER *** The disappearance of Amit is surprising and upsetting. I didn't expect that - I kind of hoped that Suraiya would somehow get to keep the child. However, artistically, this makes more sense. Katie's arrival in India despite her justified fear of flying at the end makes it better, a little bit, but that all happens really fast and all of a sudden the play is over. The last moment definitely gives us a hope for things to come without a happy ending, but I would have liked a little more time with her there. Honestly, I think the playwright did the right thing with the ending, I just felt that something was cut short - it was a little sudden for me.

Overall: I really loved this play - so silly and playful, with lots of depth underneath. Yee shows us the cracks in the character's lives and in our world without being didactic, and by making us laugh. The ending was surprisingly disappointing for me (from a plot rather than playwrighting standpoint), but I think that's Yee’s point overall. Despite that, she leaves us with the two main characters approaching the world with new possibility. I really loved this play - I would jump at the chance to see or be a part of a production of this show!

Here’s a link to Google Sheets with more info about the play: Play a Day Sheet

If you want to know more about Lauren Yee: https://laurenyee.com/