What I liked
the transformation of the actor felt complete. i mean, she just put on hat after hat when moving between characters.
the projection and sound design timed off of soliel’s relatively impromptu performer, underlining her strong improvisational comedy, and ability to use that improvisational skill for dramatic effect.
the props felt multi-faceted, used as pieces of joy and instruments of tragedy.
i really liked the clown make up tbh, it felt like robert pattinson batman but he shopped at Ulta instead of Spencer’s.
What I didn't like
i would never pretend to know what could be improved with someone else’s show.
let me instead talk about more things that i loved.
the show invites audience members to examine their own feelings surrounding grief, and love of family. when do you know you’ve lost something? how do we forgive so much? can you truly hold two disparate beliefs about the same person? or does one have to outweigh the other? this is a classic question also considered in PotCCotBP (pirates of the carribean curse of the black pearl) but i think soliel did it with deeper complexity and finesse than commodore norrington and captain jack black.
how does performance transcend communication in terms of emotional processing, for the viewer and for the performer? i dunno. this is the question dragonfish still has be ruminating. i can’t imagine any process of this show was easy, and i’m so grateful to the performer for bringing it from Denver to Los Angeles.
My overall impression
ka-jeez, whatta show.
soliel follows a rare combination of heartfelt vulnerability and good ol’ dumb clownin’ along a razor’s edge to bring the audience into a rabbit hole of family exploration. we witness a character through a lens that’s tinted by love, and slowly watch as the character (quite literally) sheds layers revealing a darker truth.
both hilarious and touching, with incredible projections, sound design, and bright pops of color.
