The Woman Is Perfected

Wow! What a performance. A one woman show is a hard feat to pull off but it succeeded. There was not a moment that I was bored or wondered off. I was there with her on stage. The complexities of her character were well written and demonstrated through engaging flashbacks and memories through a "casual" conversation with her mother. A must see at Fringe. ... full review

So well written with a strong performance. Ruth’s script builds a strong character and takes you through the compounding lows of Cassie with heartbreaking efficiency. Maliabeth knows the character well and does a great job of embodying a woman who has destroyed her body for love. Recommend adding it to your Fringe schedule!... full review

An incredible evening of theatre! The script was tight and nuanced, resisting easy answers to the problems posed. The comedic moments provided welcome emotional relief at just the right moments. The script was brought beautifully to life by Ms. Johnson, who was so perfect for the role it seemed to have been written for her. Her ability to balance the conflicting pressures that women face in our society kept the audience rooting for her throughout. ... full review

Engrossing and intense. Hard to watch at times—the suffering of the woman was palpable—but an impeccable character study. ... full review

This show was a stunning, unapologetic look into a woman's mind, body, and spirit. All aspects of this production have come together to give the audience a visceral experience! Truly surprising, heart-wrenching, and REAL. I was touched by this show. ... full review

This solo show was both immersive and eerie. So often I have found myself judging those who prescribe to such physical changes, thinking them to be shallow or vapid. This piece really turns that around and puts us inside the mind of someone suffering from this sense of body dismorphia. There is no higher achievement I can think of for a live piece than to empathetically educate. Beautifully written. ... full review

The collaboration between the writer and actress was something that I could only describe as, beautiful magic. Ruth wrote a character with a multitude of layers, dealing with perfection and self-love that are extremely relevant and relatable to our society today. A character that I must say was nothing short of scary. It is every woman's worst nightmare to become her, but we also all play with that line every day. Maliabeth took the words off the page and fully unhinged herself, crossing that line. She brought you into the darkest places of not just her mind but yours too. After Maliabeth walked off stage the guy next to me said, "Woah, that was really good, huh?" We both just sat there in silence for a few minutes thinking about what j... full review

Perfection is an impossibility. It's an ideal to be pursued. This play explores the dramatic ends we reach when we become obsessed with that which can not last. The audience is placed in the headspace of a woman in her late 20s who is struggling with her identity while going to increasingly drastic ends to stave off her physical decline. Viewers come away with a renewed understanding and empathy, not only for those suffering with body dysmorphia, but also for anyone searching for a way to feel validation in a world increasingly preoccupied with the superficial. ... full review

Great show! Succinct and perfectly acted with a story that reveals itself in pieces that, when they come together, make us wonder how we didn't see the inevitable end coming.... full review

For those of you don't know (I did not at first) the title The Woman is Perfected comes from the very last poem by Sylvia Plath. That alone might well give you a notion at its feel. A young woman spends the length of this one person show talking pretty much non stop to her visiting mother. Although quite pretty, she remains obsessed about her looks, having just undergone a series of botox injections to "take away all the wrinkles." She notes she doesn't mind the pain. It fills and distracts her from...other things. Those other things reveal themselves like symptoms of some horrific condition as she talks--and this turns out to be far from a simile. It proves the absolute truth. This harrowing, fascinating portrait shows a woman who h... full review