Review by anonymous
June 23, 2026 certified reviewerWhat I liked
It’s such a relief to get out from under the hysteria and terror that pushes performance these days into something overblown. To just sit down and have someone lead me into a story that I can re-live with him (even though, as I understand it, this story is “fictional”), bumping into my own ah-has and feelings as we go.
What I didn't like
Well, I kind of loved the low-key, blackbox, low-tech-ness of the venue, the Fringe, with its WONDERFUL volunteers. Loved Eric schlepping his stuff in in a bag. If I were him, I’d keep all of that. And I’d just keep exploring the piece. Keep taking moments to breathe and connect with his audience, each individual one. It’s this non-performative connection (not even the breathless, competition-driven compulsion of The Moth) that feels so good. Not rushed. Not trying to win, or one-up, or out-do. Just telling us a story.
My overall impression
These days we cringe, but once upon a time we used to find the courage to tell someone else about our fumblings and foibles with as much honesty as we could muster even as we winced at our failings and forgave ourselves all in the same breath. That’s what Eric Weiner is doing in this one-man show. Let him tell you a story—really tell it—as if it were coming to him for the first time. As if you’re in his kitchen and he’s moving the chairs around to tell you a thing that maybe he hasn’t told anyone because it’s too close-to-the-heart to put into words, never mind feel together.
