Invasive Species details Maia Novi’s experience moving from Argentina to America in pursuit of the American movie star dream. Armed with a Spanish-American accent, a fixation on Gwyneth Paltrow’s morning Goop routine, and the acting bug, Novi walks us through three threads of narrative: her arrival at Yale Acting School, her time at a psychiatric hospital, and her audition process for the role of Eva Perón in Evita.
Novi recalls her experience in a brutally honest, raw, but entertaining way. She offers a glimpse into the realities of the life of an immigrant, being told that her accent is lovely, whilst getting laughed at for mispronouncing the word sleazebag: “It’s sleazebAg, not sleazebUg!” Novi’s writing and performance is beautiful, and her natural talent is impressive. However, this play is elevated by the most electric supporting cast: Kalifa Taylor, Max Percy, Harrison Osterfield, and Ella Blackburn. While Novi remains herself, although sometimes an exaggerated version, throughout the play, the supporting cast jump between teenagers in the psych ward, a nurse, a casting director, Novi’s Argentine mother and father, a translator, and a neurotic talent agent.
Each character that the cast brings to life on stage is memorable, and the entire cast offer standout performances. Taylor is a wonder on stage, Blackburn is a born entertainer, and Percy and Osterfield are exceptionally talented. The dynamic of the cast is energetic and entertaining, and the four of them support Novi’s story incredibly well.
Amidst the chaos and humour, there is a depth hiding in the shadows of this story, addressing themes such as cultural barriers and mental health struggles. These sombre themes are touched upon, but are quickly swept into a barrage of humour to mask them, which I think is quite telling of not just the immigrant experience, but the human one, often leaning into humour to mask our pain. Over the course of ninety minutes, we witness Novi’s initial excitement at moving to the United States slowly begin to wear her down. She must be more American. She cannot speak Spanish. She must sound American. She cannot stand out. She must fit in. Her determination to succeed as an actor comes at a very high price, with one crucial thing hanging in the balance: her sanity.
While the fast-paced narrative works well in conveying Novi’s experience, it occasionally interrupted the dialogue of others. Some of the cast spoke over one another, which did not feel intended, meaning I could not quite understand where some of the dialogue began and ended. I am all for a play being fast-paced, but when this interrupts the natural flow of dialogue, that feels a bit amiss. I also always find it a little off-putting when some of the audience laughs at parts that did not quite hit the mark with me, and I found myself looking around the theatre in slight bemusement at times. It took me a bit of time to warm to the flow of this play, but once I understood its rhythm, I enjoyed it.
While Invasive Species did not blow my socks off, I can only praise the supreme talent of Novi, Taylor, Blackburn, Percy, and Osterfield. Bravo.
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