What I liked
Jackie’s original music, choreography, and singing were beautiful. Well-done pacing, and an emotionally grounded performance. I always felt like I was getting a sincere, authentic Jackie.
What I didn't like
The only note I can think of was that the singing in one song was a bit more difficult to hear when the choreography moved more upstage!
My overall impression
Jackie pulls off some incredible storytelling feats in just 60 minutes of runtime. In her one-woman-musical, she manages to capture such a breadth of powerful life experiences that weave together into one, cohesive story. She achieves a masterful balance of light-hearted playfulness, gut-wrenching anguish, and radical compassion for both herself and the imperfect relationships she has with those who impacted her life most deeply.
Most importantly for us as the audience, Jackie found a way to tell this story in a way that hits home and makes this message real for us, giving everyone something different they can take with them. She communicates layers of nuance through a multitude of creative expressions: standup comedy, audience participation, playing as multiple characters, puppetry, dancing, singing – this truly is Jackie’s story, told in a way only Jackie can tell.
What makes Hold Me Down special is Jackie’s ability to take a collection of happy, sad, sexy, and sobering personal experiences – and transform them into a message of hope and healing for people at any stage of searching and self-acceptance.
