What I liked
I came expecting the story Cathy Schenkelberg was going to tell. What I didn’t expect was the mixture of hilarity, song, dance (yes, and she’s really good too), self-effacement, and painful regret she encompasses in the performance. This is so far from a spoken-word monologue – instead it’s a full theatrical experience, and an enormously powerful one that has stayed with me for days.
What I didn't like
But the most “mega” part of the production happened without Schenkelberg’s intent – when the show’s website was hacked to say that all performances had been sold out. Clearly by someone or some organization who had a vested interest in keeping people from seeing it. I’ll have to spend some time contemplating who that might have been…
My overall impression
A harrowing, yet humorous and audience-friendly account of the writer/performer’s journey into, through, and out of Scientology. More than any articles, documentaries, or reports I’ve ever known, this led me to grasp, not just the most extreme of what the Church of Scientology does or has done, but how it works. Most specifically, how it progresses with its adherents from a Self-Esteem-building service into a controlling force. Pure brilliance, and potentially life-changing.
