There is no better symbol for perfection and strength than Superman. Since his inception, he has presented this ideal hero. It makes sense why many would want to channel and emulate him. The problem, of course, is that no real human being can ever match a fictional alien superhero. No matter how we try, we’ll never be as fast or as strong or as flawless as Superman. This is something Fredrick, an immensely successful psychiatrist, struggles with in Omar Bakry’s play Superman & Serena.

It’s not just Fredrick struggling – With his marriage crumpling in large part due to his workaholic tendencies, diving headfirst into work to win the prestigious APA award, he starts seeing a new client, Salma, who comes to him desperate for help as she fears she has no control in her life, facing expectations from her mother and husband. Through these two and their situations, Superman & Serena examines the walls we put up and the personalities we adopt for ourselves as we struggle to protect ourselves in life.

The cast is lead by Inji El Gammal as Salma and Alexander Chilton as Frederick. Both are great, El Gammal doing a wonderful job at capturing various emotional states of this woman at a breaking point and Chilton presenting a Frederick who knows exactly the image he wants to present to the world and is confident in achieving and maintaining it. While the ensemble is greatly skilled as a whole, Ahmed Sabry as Salma’s husband, Jeffrey, is especially worthy of mention given the fact his bio names him as a complete newcomer as an actor. He gives a strong performance and holds his own with the rest of the cast.

Gus Ferrari’s set and lighting designs are straightforward and simple but do a marvelous job defining the space, and Phil Oetker’s sound design, dominated by gentle piano, is nice and never overstated. The creative team is lead by director Vincent Scott, whose staging dynamically makes full use of the space in a way that feels realistic. The production, in short, was in good hands with this team.

Bakry’s script is compelling. These two leads are fascinating to see and to watch play against each other, even if there were pieces of Salma that still felt confusing. There are a couple elements that don’t quite ring true to me about the therapy sessions and the ending felt rather abrupt. It is, however, an interesting character exploration and dives into some interesting psychology and philosophy.

Superman & Serena is not a perfect play, but it’s a fascinating look at what happens when we’re crushed by expectations including the expectation of perfection.