Review: “The Karens” with The Muse Collective

The premise of “The Karens” was not the one I was expecting from the title. Rather than telling the story of the kind of “Karen” that we have come to know (the “speak to the manager” type) it focuses on a trio of high school friends, all named Karen, frustrated by the bad press of the name over the last year and trying anything in their power to use their influence and, in some cases, privilege to change the narrative and bring Karens out of the negative spotlight. This is a very funny concept that is used delightfully here. Playwright, Peter Gray, and director, Michael Alvarez utilize this concept beautifully.

“The Karens” touches primarily on ideas of performative activism. All three Karens are trying to affect change and dismantle things like white supremacy through hashtags, videos, and even “anti-racist” parties. Grey does a great job portraying this kind of ineffective activism and the thought processes behind it. After all, the whole thing even starts with the group deciding what hashtags and causes to take on in order to turn the perception of Karens not to change things. Another aspect of performative activism that the play touches on is towards the end when Karen Zed (The only white Karen of the group) can barely have a conversation with the Karen X because she is so overwhelmed with trying to show her allyship and support for the other Karens. Though, this only manifests on a surface level and ends up turning the conversation to be all about her.

All three women lay their parts wonderfully. Not only are they great individually but they work off of each other incredibly well. Which, is an impressive achievement over Zoom. You could have told me that they had actually been friends in high school and I would have believed you. Lauren Sage Browning as Karen Zed is hilarious in her over-the-top PSAs. Felicia Santiago as Karen Y’s continued attempts for over-the-top party planning is just as fun. And finally, Morgan Danielle Day as Karen X holds the whole group together as the one who leads the charge for this Karen rebranding. Another scene by Day that stands out is one where Karen X is having, perhaps one of the only human moments in the show, as she breaks down behind a Whole Foods. This moment stuck out as one of the few outside of the mask of self-promotion that these characters continue to put up and was played brilliantly by Day.  But, in a delightful twist, even that moment was made performative by Karen X, who suggests that they use that video to help improve the reputation of Karens by appearing more real.

I very much enjoyed the show. However, while entertaining and, in many ways, poignant, feels a little too long. I enjoyed it but found myself drifting at times. Several of the interludes between scenes, moments where the Karens are working to promote themselves and reverse the perception of the name, go on for just a little too long. The one moment in particular that feels it goes on for a while was the “Karen Zed’s Tips”. These were satirical tips given by the only white Karen of the show about how to acknowledge your privilege and do better. Of course, many of these were purposely absurd to highlight the flaws of performative activism and most of them were spot on and hilarious. But it did feel that after tip 10 or so that the bit had run its course. This rings true for a few interlude moments in the show. The humor is very quick and sharp and these moments halted that momentum. Despite this, I still walked away with an overall positive experience.

“The Karens” sets up a world where the three characters we are following are larger-than-life-wacky characters that we can enjoy engaging with. However, just as we are getting comfortable and laughing along, it hits us with some startlingly poignant truths. Which, in many ways, is the same experience that the Karens in this play go through. It’s a show that will have you laughing one moment and looking within yourself the next. I certainly walked away with a full heart and many questions.

“The Karen’s” was presented by The Muse Collective and streamed over Zoom. It was written by Peter Gray and directed by Michael Alvarez. Edited and designed by Michael Alvarez. With sound design by John Millerd.

It features: Morgan Danielle Day, Felicia Santiago, and Lauren Sage Browning.