What I liked
It was my first introduction to this work and I think one of the few plays I’ve encountered that deal with veterans, specifically women veterans and their self image after war and trauma. A very daring pick for the Fringe which is constantly pumping comedy at audiences!
What I didn't like
This is a hard freaking play. It’s heavy as hell and not something I would have found my way to if my friend Sunita wasn’t in it. So kudos for taking this on.
That said, from the third row, the facial scarring prosthetics were not that pronounced, especially around the eye area where supposedly there were a lot of traumatic issues for the character. I def saw it more once her hat came off. I also felt the VR thing felt like an afterthought. Maybe it could have been staged differently but the headset and the set itself is black and the VR thing seemed to get lost to me. There seemed to be the capacity for video or a gobo and maybe Jess’ explorations with it could have been heightened with that. Some performances (mostly Jessica’s and Doctor’s) felt much more grounded than others. I enjoyed when live and recorded sound was used and felt more of it could have helped the production find more texture and movement.
The front of house needed to close the door because a lot of light and sound was coming from the street.
My overall impression
A very ambitious work for the Hollywood Fringe, a chance to experience this play that has had previous productions at the Royal National Theater and Roundabout in NYC. Some cool non traditional characters and casting.
