Coming to America

Anon is a young man without a past. Washed up on the shores of America, a refugee from Southeast Asia, he has no roots here and no sense of place — only the overwhelming drive to reconnect with his family. But how do you find anyone in a country as large and strange as America? Wandering through a U.S. that's as alien and bizarre as something out of a fairytale, Anon struggles to survive through a combination of natural intelligence, bravery and a sense of humor. Naomi Iizuka's Anon(ymous) borrows its plot and structure from Homer's Odyssey, but the setting and symbols are the mythology of modern life: cutthroat capitalism, a melting-pot culture that rejects what it can't homogenize and the difficulties of maintaining your heritage while creating a new life. COCA Theatre Company presents Anon(ymous) at 7: 30 p.m. Friday and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday (January 22 and 23) at the Center of Creative Arts (524 Trinity Avenue, University City; 314-725-6555 or www.cocastl.org). Tickets are $6 to $8. Owing to mature themes, the play is recommended for ages 15 and older.
Fri., Jan. 22; Sat., Jan. 23, 2010