What I liked
So many elements blend together seemlessly in this production- from the preshow tranquility brought on by the singing bowls while the artist casually sips a smoothie, to standing for the opening “prayer,” the unseated land announcement at the top of every fringe show, I was invested from the moment I walked into the theater.
Using prophetic prose with colloquial ease, innocent physical play, and a dash of simple klutziness, Bowling pulls off the disaffected-yet-innocent teenager perspective without being glib, like citing avoidance to molestation as the motivation to nailing a gymnastics move.
There’s an adage I was gifted with in the form of a brass key chain a decade ago, “Tell me and I’ll forget. Teach me, and I’ll remember. Involve me and I’ll learn.“ Bowling’s projects capitalize on this sentiment. Utilizing sense, [ethereal] song, and story, we are all in Sam’s very capable and deftly instrumental hands. This is an artist who is exceptionally skilled at gently AND effectively inviting the audience to participate. I won’t be stepping foot on land without knowing its roots, and the concept of woman’s bodies being the same as the land, got it, but woman’s bodies being treated like the land is being/has been treated – that opened up something in my cynical heart that resonates to my core. Thank you.
What I didn't like
The smoke bubbles were SUPER cool, but outside of an ethereal element during an audience made thunderstorm soundscape, I struggled to connect them to the piece. Rate of speech can slow down a hair for the sake of clarity. More gymnastics, please!
My overall impression
Samantha Bowling does it again! An exquisitely crafted piece that sneakily educates while deftly sharing a personal story with universal appeal. Bowling creates art that has the capacity to inspire change. This is the fringe artist to watch!
