What I liked
Briana’s so natural and comfortable with herself and a wonderful comedian. She puts us at ease immediately and lets us laugh at and with her. Ken Sawyer’s direction was fabulously creative and his staging kept the story flowing along beautifully. The piano & songs were a perfect mix intermingled with the story.
What I didn't like
It all worked. So fun with a lot of laughs splashed with heart wrenching moments.
My overall impression
“Body image” : 2 simple words that carry so much weight. And yes! both literally & figuratively and, again, yes! pun intended! THIS is a must see- performed by Brianna McDonnell, directed by Ken Sawyer and music director and on piano Lindsay Aldana. Briana delivers the goods and wallops a punch with her personal and heartwarming story of growing up surrounded by words such as “ fat” & “normal.” She shares her tale from childhood to the present of her journey with the high numbers on the scale and her pursuit of acting and musical theatre with her storytelling interspersed with singing a few of our favorite and familiar Broadway showstoppers. She was a laugh a minute but had me crying at the end with her rendition of ABBA’s “ I have a dream.” And for a Fringe show with the notoriously quick “in and out” turn around and bare bones set, Ken Sawyer, somehow, works magic with his direction and staging utilizing the red velvet curtains, lighted make up mirror, a piano, a video screen and (why not) throw in a couple of candelabras in the mix. He has Briana working every inch of the space helping create Briana’s world of being BIG with a B. I grew up with an older sister who was “ big” and thank you to Briana & Ken for opening their souls and shedding some light and helping me better understand Briana’s world a little more. Blessings! Xo
