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Daniella Caggiano first encountered “A Walrus in the Body of a Crocodile” at a small-scale production, where an extremely stripped-down version of the show was performed. Despite no props, set or lights, she still resonated with the show’s script, transforming the characters and setting into a tale of a limiting society.

“I was really inspired by the ways it was able to kind of talk about gender and sexuality and how limiting the things that we’re asked to be in this world can be,” Caggiano said.

MJ Kaufman’s “A Walrus in the Body of a Crocodile” is playing at Syracuse Stage from Feb. 22 to March 2, with Caggiano directing. The play tells the story of five people transcending spaces in search of their identity.

Through absurd interactions, each character discovers their different forms of gender expression and grapples with their place in society. Kaufman’s writing explores how gendered words and language influence the way identities are presented.

The play tackles the question of why genders are attached to words and objects and in turn, how gender is attached to people. This idea is painted across four settings: a support group, a fraternity party and a women writers’ class, with a crowded subway car serving as transportation between the settings.

The story follows characters One, Two, Three, Four and Carrie Bradshaw as they rotate through four different settings and become interwoven with one another. The characters act out stereotypes associated with their identities. The play stresses the different ways gender is expressed when people conform to their surroundings, said sophomore Jude Chong, a musical theater major who plays One.

Throughout the changes in setting, the characters take on multiple forms depending on their environment. Caggiano said this format of storytelling reflects how people manifest and perform their gender identities through the worlds they live in.

“Every person is growing and changing and coming into themselves and questioning what they’ve been taught, particularly at this age,” Caggiano said.

The narrative explores the idea of being in between genders and the driving force is the central setting of a support group where the characters discuss things stuck inside of things — like the title, a walrus in the body of a crocodile, suggests. The support group setting is a place where these characters are vulnerable in their identity struggles while the other settings are a façade. The way that they comply with norms is not a true reflection of how they feel about their gender expression, members of the cast and crew said.

As One, Two, Three and Four move through settings, they find themselves in situations where they perform in stereotypically masculine or feminine ways. At the fraternity, they chug beer, blast music and shout profanities. In the women writers’ class, they wear girlish clothing, speak in excitable tones and submit to their professor.

Christian Calabrese | Staff Photographer

Jude Chong (left) and Maya Landry, Hazel Kinnersley, G.B. Bellamy and Mallika Cadin star in SU Department of Drama’s production of “A Walrus in the Body of a Crocodile.” The play features a plethora of storylines.

As the play progresses, Bradshaw, who belongs solely to the women writers’ class, begins to infiltrate the core group. Her presence challenges the previously set gender standards that each setting operates under. She first forms a stronger connection with Four, but when Bradshaw confronts Four at the fraternity party, his masculine front crumbles under the pressure and he brushes her away.

At the play’s climax, when Bradshaw presents a speech, the characters are taken aback by her expression of femininity. By observing her, Two realizes that they have gone too far into conforming to one gender and it isn’t a true reflection of who they are. All characters begin to confront themselves and each other in a moment of vulnerability, confronting the fluidity of gender.

“We all behave different ways in different groups of people,” Chong said. “It’s about allowing your true self to shine through in whatever that may be. It doesn’t have to be specifically through gender.”
The changing settings of the subway car represent the characters journey of self-discovery. Sophomore musical theatre major Maya Landry, who plays Two, said when coming to terms with identity, it is not solely about where you come from and end up but rather the journey of transforming into something different.

The company’s use of practical sets and lighting plays a large role in telling the story. The theater is carefully arranged with stark white boxes that reflect the story’s themes of fitting one’s identity into limited divisive boxes.
“Having a physical box to step into to represent the metaphorical box that my character is stepping into really helped,” Chong said.

Caggiano said she wanted the set to “function as a playground for the performers.” From script to stage, the cast was given space to experiment with different approaches and processes to bring the language to life, Caggiano said.

The five-person ensemble cultivated intimate performances and thought-provoking engagement. Chong and Landry reflected on how the small size of the cast gave them room to base their character off of their own life experiences. Combining the original script and personal input allowed for a vulnerable and authentic execution, which ultimately paid off.

Caggiano said from the beginning she knew the characters would end up reflecting the people who played them. Chong and Landry shared that they pulled both feelings of security and insecurity in their personal identities and channelled them into their performances.

Landry said while the play focuses heavily on themes of gender expression and the lives of people in the LGBTQ+ community, this doesn’t take away from its objectivity. She reflected on how the story provides space for people seeking to understand different perspectives of identity.

“We all behave in different ways in different groups of people and not having to tone yourself down, or be smaller, and just being yourself (is important),” Chong said.

In today’s complicated and oftentimes “scary” political climate, Caggiano hopes to shine light on underrepresented topics. The play represents those with different gender identity or expression and creates a space for those to learn from one another.

“The feeling of being uncomfortable in your own body is a universal experience, and I hope that people do know that this is a show for everyone,” Landry said.

Published on February 24, 2025 at 10:34 pm