Take Me To The Poorhouse

Really excellent but too long. ... full review

Walking into The Lounge Theatre for the world premiere of “Take Me to the Poorhouse,” one is struck by the possibilities of a practically empty stage. With only a knee-high square box on one side of the stage and a shallow square-shaped step on the other, it’s difficult to believe the petite actor, Liz Femi, will enter and not only fill up the stage, but enlarge it into a middle class Nigerian kitchen, a classroom closet, a shanty one-room neighbor’s house, and a street scene with story-hungry kids sharing in a circle. Writer and Performer Liz Femi was born in England, but raised in Nigeria. She has performed in theatre, film and television and holds two Masters degrees, one in Education, the other in acting from Harvard. The play opens w... full review

I know Take me to the Poorhouse travels to the 2013 United Solo Festival this fall and has dreams of further touring. The writing already impressed me at their living room reading. especially as I knew there were many solo shows in my near future of Fringe. I was a little scared, honestly, because I loved the script so much and worried that ‘producing’ it might ruin it. Often a solo show would be just as good if it stayed as a story-telling piece rather than a play. Not the case here; Take Me to the Poorhouse works even better on its feet. Femi is tight. Her story of class and love and mistaking real life for musicals feels close yet very distinctly far from my own experience. There’s a lot of distance between Nigeria and Massachusett... full review

Originally posted in Bitter Lemons http://wp.me/p1ZQLV-adR Man. It's not all that often that you see a solo show where you want to take the performer home with you. The pocket-sized Liz Femi is just about the most adorable actor onstage ever, and her story of growing up middle-class in Nigeria - and being captivated by the "fiery tongues and fierce temperaments" of those around her who're living in poverty - is pretty much irresistible. The outrageously talented Ms. Femi portrays an 8-year-old girl who begins her onstage journey in dogged pursuit of a secret love, a poor boy at school. She takes a route that's at once familiar and unexpected; Jane Morris directs with a sure hand that grabs every comedic opportunity along the way, and ... full review

Liz Femi is a gem, a budding Whoopi Goldberg of talent. I was totally transported to Nigeria and immersed in her personal story of life. Her characters were life-like, and her humor is contagious. I was inspired, thrilled and proud to be a part of the magic of Fringe. Two thumbs enthusiastically up!... full review