Podcast Summary: All Of It with Alison Stewart

Episode: "New Play 'Monsters' Shows Siblings Growing Together Through MMA"
Date: March 5, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Alison Stewart is joined by actors Oak Anodowan and Anya Mizel, stars of the new two-person play, The Monsters, produced by Manhattan Theater Club at City Center. The play explores the intense relationship between estranged siblings who reconnect through the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), using physical fighting as a metaphor for familial confrontation, healing, and personal growth. The conversation dives deep into character motivations, the demands and dynamics of a two-hander play, and the emotional resonance with audiences.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Premise & Character Introduction

• Synopsis: The play centers on Big, an MMA fighter in recovery, and Lil, his younger sister, who seeks him out after 16 years of estrangement. Lil wants Big to train her in MMA, prompting both to confront their shared past and personal demons.
• Family & Addiction Themes: Both siblings grapple with legacies from their father, including struggles with addiction, and seek connection and structure through each other and MMA.

2. Character Exploration

Big (Oak Anodowan)

• When first introduced, Big has just defended his MMA championship. He's methodical, solitary, and somewhat emotionally closed off but functional.
• On MMA’s meaning:

  "It's his structure. It's his motivation...I can't go back and change whatever demons that haunt me. No. But moving forward, I can get ready, I can train, and then when I win, I see the result of my hard work and training. It's very visceral and very immediate." (03:31)

• On Big’s ceiling as a fighter:

  "I think if he was 10 years younger, he could be a great one...for his age, he's kind of phenomenal. But because of that, there's kind of like a ceiling." (03:15)

Lil (Anya Mizel)

• She’s impulsive, works at Applebee’s, copes with loss and anxiety through energy and humor, and idolizes her brother as a superhero.
• On her loyalty to Big:

  "Big is Lil's superhero...I think she locked that image and held onto it for herself to honestly sustain her." (04:33)

• On her urgency:

  "I think Lil's version of urgency is through levity and energy. I think it's a defense mechanism...it all feels like it's crashing down right now. So we have to solve it right now." (09:10)

3. Sibling Relationship Dynamics

• Estrangement and Vulnerability: Big is initially wary and defensive when Lil shows up, not because of Lil herself but out of reluctance to face his past.
• Quote:

  "He's not necessarily...he doesn't want to deal. He's been running away from his past and how he left things." (07:20)

• Subtlety of Reconnection: Their interactions are intentionally ambiguous, mixing love, guilt, and responsibility.

  "The beauty of that moment is we don't really know yet...And the audience is supposed to wonder, what is that? Is it love? Is it guilt? Is it a sense of responsibility?" (10:07)

4. Staging and Performance

• Physicalizing the Characters Across Time:
  Oak explains how he physically signals Big's age and emotional journey (e.g., postures, openness, heaviness of movement).

  "There's just kind of a weight that older Big just kind of has that younger Big doesn't...you see the wear and tear. He's tired. He's fighting. He's training." (11:52)

• Lil’s childhood perspective:
  Mizel describes Lil's innocent awareness as a child in a chaotic environment, and how imaginative play with Big was her sanctuary.

  "I think it's weird around here. I think it's loud around here. I think it's scary around here as a little person. But I have fun with my brother." (12:56)

5. Clip Highlights

• Big’s fighting hunger:

  "I know when I'm gonna win. I know I got him...He ain't hungry. Not like me. He ain't starving."
  Lil: "What you starving for?"
  Big: "Everything." (08:14–08:54)

• Childhood banter and support:

  Lil: "Billy said I was ugly."
  Big: "Well, Billy's a dumb....You want me to kill him?"
  Lil: "No, Big. That would be crazy."
  Big: "Just doing my due diligence." (13:31–13:57)

6. The Demands of a Two-Hander

• Continuous Emotional and Physical Intensity:

  "Once the train starts, it doesn't stop. And you are the conductor and the rider in the train...Once it starts, it's all you and it's all the connection that you see on stage. And you have to keep fighting the play and move it to the end." (14:41–15:28)

• Oak appreciates fewer variables and total immersion:

  "Once you're locked in, you're locked in...It's just next moment, next moment, next moment." (15:36)

7. Audience Connection

• The actors note how intimate the space is, amplifying audience reactions—everything is heard, from laughs to sniffles.
• On audience engagement:

  "We can hear when people are trying to get it together because they're choked up...the list goes on." (16:57)

8. Preparation and Expert Guidance

• Fight choreography and stamina:
  Oak and Anya detail lessons from movement and fight coaches—notably, the need to "commit 110%" and draw inspiration from the hard work of trainers.

  "Keep the energy up. There is no Wednesday matinees...commit, commit, commit. Just giving 110% physically." (17:39)

• Role model presence:

  "Having Sarge Eubanks in the room is a big deal for me...Just to have her there, being like, you're doing a good job...felt like history was in the room." (18:44–19:08)

9. Impact on Young Audiences

• Children and teens who attend ask thoughtful questions about both the physical and emotional demands of the show.
• Quote:

  "They were just like, how do you physically do all that stuff?...how do you just feel that?...How do you get it in you so that I can feel it, too?" (19:54–20:56)

Memorable Quotes

• Alison Stewart:

  "You realize the fighting is a metaphor for a lot in their relationship. But don’t be fooled. There is a lot of fighting in the show." (01:31)

• Anya Mizel (on Lil):

  "To be abandoned and then to arrive at the thesis of I'm going to protect myself is something that I think a lot of...young people today who are growing up in such a fast time are learning that so early." (06:11)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Play summary and introduction: 01:31–02:46
• Big's mindset and MMA: 02:50–03:54
• Lil's motivation and backstory: 03:54–04:33
• Exploring the metaphor of fighting: 08:14–08:54
• Childhood flashback clip: 13:31–13:57
• On being a two-hander: 14:36–15:36
• Stage/audience connection: 16:25–17:19
• Fight training and movement: 17:19–19:38
• Questions from kids/student matinees: 19:38–21:22

Tone & Style

The conversation is deeply personal, open, and insightful, often blending humor and candor. Stewart asks thoughtful, layered questions, while both actors bring warmth and honesty about their craft and the show’s themes. The discussion is reflective of New York’s rich, diverse theatrical landscape and the broader implications of family, resilience, and identity.