Doing Bernice

I loved the show! It was touching, honest and uplifting.... full review

This is one helluva lady! Eileen Weiner has written the piece, based on the demise of her mother with other autobiography drawn in, as well as 9 songs for which she has also played the piano. The highlight of this performance is the wit of the lyrics and the searing melodies. Very much in the manner of Tom Lehrer. I just wished she'd had a director (I couldn't see the name of one on the program...) It's just so hard directing yourself in a one person show, and a little more shaping - scenically and narratively - would have helped no end.... full review

I loved Eileen Weiner and her show! Wonderful songs, writing and performance! Eileen covers a popular subject, Alzheimer's, without succumbing to cliches. Her writing and acting have a delightfully enchanting innocence. By portraying her mother's personal history, she fleshes out the woman in her care for the audience without a hint of either sarcasm or sentimentality. A lovely, sweet, funny, fresh piece! Go see Doing Bernice!... full review

As a daughter whose mother had Alzheimer's, Eileen Weiner starts with wry complaints about adult diapers but soon shifts into portraying the mother who once was a young woman like herself, falling in love and marrying, then losing her beloved husband. It’s basically a familial remembrance and the witty songs lift it from being maudlin. I already had heard much of the material since Eileen was a co-writer in Jill Schary Robinson’s Blue Coyote Writers Workshop in Hollywood. Needs work, and a directorial eye is suggested, but there is genuine pathos in this simple presentation. Reviews @theatrespokenhere ... full review

#SkipItLA - I like the concept, but the script needs an overhaul and her performance could use the touch of an experienced director. Right now it comes across more as a presentation for a junket, than as a one-woman musical.... full review