She was engaging the entire time, working in narrative and educational elements with a playful, childlike performance that was also strikingly mature.
What I didn't like
I did find some of the “Inside Out” characters a little much, but I’m not 100% sure the story would have worked without them. Maybe a little smoothing of them would have split the difference.
My overall impression
I’m new to one person shows, so with each new one I’m never sure what to expect.
This one really snuck up on me. The playful nature of her loss of innocence makes each misstep, each level deeper she falls hurt that much more. When you get right down to it the story is dark, deep, and painful. I had thought that it was done in such a fanciful and playful manner to make the punch feel harder, but it’s not. It’s a defiance. A triumph and a guide for those who might have gone through something similar to not let someone like the titular ‘prince charming’ destroy the light inside.
I found myself moved emotionally by this…not by the relatively ‘easy’ emotion of not wanting harm to come to someone with so much light, but at her ability to save herself from it and share the tools for those who might be in the same situation to do the same.