What I liked
Things I really appreciated were the funny costumes, the props, and the video and audio media used that the actor interacted with.
She was so good at making eye contact with the crowd the entire show—but not in a way that made us feel uncomfortable; she was connecting with us.
There were poetic bits I loved that made my heart ache—for instance: there was a story about an umbrella with pink shoes tied to the top as a symbol for family and home. It was later a prop that was carried by another character and it was beautiful.
I also loved the funny similes and descriptors that were sprinkled throughout the script like: “peanuts and gum do not mix.”
The original songs cracked me up and I wanted more of them—the silly dancing at the end was so funny!
What I didn't like
The characters made famous by Gene and Gilda are known by many people, but I didn’t know Miss Gilda’s history at all. Since I had only seen a couple of Gene Wilder movies, and I didn’t know much about the lives of folks that the show was based on going in, so I felt like I was a little slow on the uptake, there. Even though the summary of the show talked about it being presented by alter egos, I think it would have helped if I had familiarized myself with the lives of Gene and Gilda and the characters they played, before seeing the show.
There was one clip of video media that was used where Gene and Gilda were holding hands and talking about how they made their relationship work. It was so touching and really glued the whole show together for me. I almost wonder if that video was played first thing before the show started, as well as a couple of clips from Gene’s/Gilda’s alter ego characters would have helped the show’s “star characters’” introductions be easier to pick up on for those of us who don’t know Gene or Gilda.
My overall impression
It was exciting to see a silly, campy, vaudevillian style one person show. I have never seen a one person show before about two different characters.
