Although Rajiv Joseph’s Animals Out of Paper doesn’t have the originality and power of his 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, the play is a worthy addition to his repertoire.
A bittersweet, triangular love story, Animals is an ideal vehicle for an Asian-American theater company like East West Players dealing as it does with a world-famous origami artist, Ilana (Tess Lina), and a teenage prodigy, Suresh (Kapil Talwaker). The latter shows such prowess at the Japanese technique of folding paper into lifelike shapes that his teacher, Andy (C.S. Lee), begs Ilana to not only meet him but take him on as an apprentice. Problem is, Ilana, having suffered some devastating emotional shocks, has not only withdrawn from life but quit doing origami (though her studio is still packed with samples of her work, including the startling overhead shape of a hawk).
Suresh has some problems of his own, as well. Though it is never mentioned openly, he is mildly autistic—prone to erratic and angry outbursts, recoiling at the touch of another human being, etc. Yet he also has a profound need for love and intimacy.
The same could be said about Andy. Despite his big personality and high spirits, all of his meaningful relationships have gone wrong over the years. Meeting Ilana–he’s the treasurer of the Origami Society–gives him an emotional charge, a burst of hope. He has always loved her work; now he has a chance to love Ilana the woman. The force of his feelings cracks open the shell that’s been encasing the slender, sensitive artist, and it would appear that the two of them will find happiness together.
But then up jumps the devil in the guise of the 18-year-old origami whiz-kid, Suresh. Joseph captures the highs and lows of this unique three-way love affair, its laughter and tears, its joys and sorrows. He’s greatly aided by the sure-handed direction of Jennifer Chang and by the skilled acting of C.S. Lee, Tess Lina and Kapil Talkwalker (a student at USC!).
