On the Evolutionary Function of Shame – 23 February 2025

On the Evolutionary Function of Shame is a deeply moving story of dilemmas and contradictions that juxtaposes the biblical story of Adam (1 – Jordan Barbour) and Eve (1 – Elizabeth Ramos) with a not-too-distant future where eugenics play a factor in the creation of a human child. The primary story follows a transgender man named Adam (2 – Cody Sloan) and his twin sister, Eve (2 – Kayli Carter). Adam 2 is pregnant with his nonbinary partner Fox (Ryan Jamaal Swain)’s baby; under the guise of providing prenatal care for free, Eve 2’s research centers around isolating the gene for gender dysphoria in an attempt to help future children not feel the pain and misery that she observed in her twin brother. This becomes complicated when Adam 2 becomes aware of this, because he believes that eliminating dysphoria would eliminate the transgender community— this is an affront on the validity of people who share his way of existing. Despite a thought provoking talk with Eve’s co-researcher, Margot (Imani Russell) Adam 2 and Fox decide to go elsewhere for medical care as Adam’s doubts about whether or not he’d want to bring a child into the world who would experience this kind of pain torment him and he needs to have the ability to alter his future daughter’s DNA taken away from him.

Plot summary aside, there’s a lot of food for thought presented here. On the Evolutionary Function of Shame touches many topics generally considered forbidden fruit. Imani Russell’s portrayal of Margot was fascinating, because Margot was the only character who could actually do the calculations and make peace with the contradictions, possibly because she is on the autism spectrum (of course, another gene being researched for possible elimination). When Adam 2 asks her how she feels about doing research that might eliminate future others from being like her, Margot remains calm, stating that she’s thought about it and wonders what it would be like to not be autistic. Margot feels that she is creating a choice and that what is done with the research is less important than the process of doing it. Margot knows that if she doesn’t contribute to this project, someone else will, and at least she and Eve 2 can handle it with care as people who know someone with lived experience. This argument is simultaneously detached and humanizing. It’s not that Margot doesn’t care what her research creates, it’s that she’d rather this research be in good hands, and she feels capable of doing the work.

Margot’s heavily thought out approach is antithetical to Adam 2’s emotional gut wrenching reactions. In particular, he has a powerful monologue about the lack of transgender people who survive to old age and get to live healthy, happy lives. He speaks of the difficulty of creating the blueprint for how transgender people live, only to be the last because eugenics could prevent a future trans community. Despite his anger, frustration, and pain, Adam 2’s words are quite coherent, and his pain is palpable. Adam 2 fears the responsibility of being the last of his kind the way Adam 1 felt saddled with the burden of being the first.

Eve 2 and Fox also have inspiring moments where they talk about their childhoods and what it meant to come into their respective owns in relation to the trans community. But Adam 1 and Eve 1 are never alone with their thoughts or curiosities. They weather each successive loss or shame together. They fight, but, as the first humans, they are truly alone in the world with only each other. We know them to survive and, as the biblical story goes, be the initial humans who populate and essentially create the entire human presence in the world. If our commonalities as the human race have one thing in common with the biblical Adam and Eve, it’s the need to form powerful connections with the people who choose to trust us and return to us and continue to love us through our most difficult moments. Fox does this for Adam 2. In a way, so does Eve 2. Eve 2 relies on Margot to keep her grounded in reality. Though connection is harder for Margot because of her autism, she shows that some amount of connection with trusted people (Eve 2) is a necessity to not lose herself in her head. Adam 2 is the least trusting, but that’s because he’s the one seeking the most forgiveness and struggling the hardest to forgive. He feels inextricably drawn to his sister, Eve 2, but ultimately picks chosen family (Fox) over biological family. He does it because, in his moment of need, he looks to the person he has a less complicated history with— he looks to the nonbinary person he loves and can be sure about. He places his faith in Fox much like Adam 1 puts his faith in Eve 1. Blindly, to not be alone in his thoughts. Thus the self made man emulates God’s own perfect creation. And God saw that he was good.

I attended this performance on a press pass from Polk & Co.