Two Islands: The Jewish Nun and the Island Blogosphere

In the first of the Two Islands, Island Blogosphere double bill, two Cuban-American sisters reveal to us the motivations and aspirations behind their abortive trip to Cuba. Affectionately, they repeat the stories their parents repeatedly told them about the homeland they never really knew. Impassioned, they profile dissident blogger Yoani Sánchez in her quest to inform the world about the political repression in Cuba. Their story becomes truly poignant when the audience is played a recording of an all-too-real mother of a Cuban dissident who died this year in a hunger strike.

Casey Dressler’s animated performance of The Jewish Nun bring the production to a close with a tone of much greater levity, as she retraces for us her entire sexual history, right from the moment when Sam from band class greets her refusal to have a baby before his grandfather dies with “What’re you, a Jewish nun?” We then pass through her first time, her first heartbreak, her first lesbian threesome and beyond, all while conserving her unique identity as a decidedly Jewish, very open-minded nun. 

Both short plays are true to the respective cultures they represent. They are also largely well-written and well-acted, making Two Islands an enjoyable, above-average production.