From Southern Belle to Mrs. Cartel

A heartfelt, honest, and real performance of an unbelievable story fit for a screenplay. Well done! ... full review

Such a great story that'll have you laughing, crying, and leave you inspired. Can't recommend this enough!... full review

Saw my first show of this year's Fringe. This show features a charming southern belle who unknowingly--and I mean in a real-life, true story--married a drug cartel dude! Is it a funny story? No it takes some dark turns. She spent 15 years not talking about what happened to her. Does she somehow make you laugh throughout with great jokes? Amazingly so. Kind of an amazing balancing act to pull off. Also short and sweet at only 25 minutes, a great start to your Hollywood Fringe theater experience. Great work Donna Thomas!... full review

The show was really great, y'all. It was funny as hell and full of heart, but also I learned all of Donna's deepest, darkest secrets! You will absolutely enjoy this show.... full review

A captivating and unique story told with humor and sincerity. Absolutely loved this show! ... full review

We've all had experiences of the wrong guy, but Donna Thomas will make you breathe a huge sigh of relief(between all the laughter), that at least he was never THAT BAD! In only 30 minutes she shares an incredibly personal story, which creates every emotion response and leaves you wanting to hug and cheer for Team Donna! The combination of some very interesting AV props adds a clever and funny layer of depth to the performance. Donna's comedic timing is a perfect counterpoint to some really dark moments, underscoring how easy it can be to make the wrong decision and suddenly find yourself in a situation that seems almost impossible to escape. Behind her charming exterior, we find a smart and capable woman who not only managed to wal... full review

An incredibly touching and poignant story that's filled with intrigue, youthful naïveté, and humor still. To marry unknowingly into a world of cocaine cartels and Colombian drug lords at the age of 19--you know the details have got to be good. A fantastic show told with sweet honesty, it peeks into a fascinating lifestyle, and is a definite must see.... full review

Silly but serious, funny and touching at different turns. Throughly enjoyed this show -- Donna has a great sense of humor and at the same time is open, honest, makes herself vulnerable in order to share her experiences and the truth of her life with the audience. Go see this!... full review

The show starts with her wedding video from the 90s and her hair in that video alone is worth the price of admission. Donna tells one of the most unbelievable true stories from her life with humor and heart. I hope her story will get made into a movie because I want to see it all: the 90's hair, the mafia and the high times in Miami. It was awesome. ... full review

Southern Belle to Mrs Cartel is a one woman tour de force - and its poignancy and humor is only heightened by the fact that it's (unbelievably) true. Cleverly directed with some very effective narrative elements (like references to TV shows of the time period of elements of the story) and humanly and very humorously told by the very talented Donna Thomas. A definite must-see.... full review