What I liked
All I can say is “Wow!”
What I didn't like
Set could be developed a little more
My overall impression
“Ageless Wonder” is the catch-all phrase that succinctly captures the essence of writer/performer Mindy Fradkin’s solo show at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. She starts off by telling her audience that she was once one of the Beatles’ screaming fans in the 60’s. She, herself, started performing at the young age of nine years old, and along her fascinating life journey, she was a hippie and went to comedy school in NYC. There is a wonderfully conceived backdrop to her animated storytelling, replete with moviolas, pictures, and music by her and the very talented Roland Moussa. She’s also has a forte in custom designing hats, which have been sold at Nordstrom’s and various boutiques. She is also the founder of the ‘Smile Revolution,’ her attempt at making people who have trouble smiling, smile and feel better for it! Among her myriad of hats, she was also a radio host, with guests like Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, and Richie Havens. She has a great rapport with the audience, and one standout sequence is when they wear her hats and wigs, which amazingly enhance and embellish their own personalities. Her performance style, while droll and deadpan, is ironically like a young pixie, when extolling the virtues of seniors, the golden oldies. She ceremoniously announces that she is “Princess Wow,” and she proceeds to prove it with her heady, loving tribute to 106 year old Anthony, a barber, who doesn’t smoke or drink, but rather cuts hair as if he’s merely 70 years old. There is a clip of an array of dazzling seniors, looking wise and wonderful beyond their years. Mindy herself is zippy, zesty, and full of life, and you will walk out of the theatre transformed. I truly identified with her and loved taking her exciting carousel ride through life as an ‘ageless wonder.’ Also, the direction by Jessica Lynn Johnson, an established performer of one woman shows, is extraordinary. Go see it; it’s one of the best of this year’s Fringe Fest offerings.
