What I liked
Told via the demons in her head, Shame and the Warrioress, Lisa (as her character Luna) takes us through her childhood as a plump kid living with a mother who never thought her daughter was good enough. As she goes through her adult life from man to man, Lisa learns that in order to really be loved, she needs to love herself first. Morphing between 25 characters and performing 7 original songs, Lisa’s call for mental health awareness culminates through her happy marriage, motherhood, and the guiding light received from Patty, her Energy Healer.
Great to see an ASL interpreter onstage, making the subject matter accessible to hearing-impaired audience members.
What I didn't like
This play is about 15 minutes too long and could easily be edited down to one hour in length and still get the point across that mental health awareness and treatment is appropriate and necessary for everyone.
My overall impression
Lisa Pezik is dedicated to getting the message out about mental health is a necessary component for just about everyone, especially those of us with parents who belittled us, often making us take inappropriate actions to survive the abuse and shame for not being perfect. Her lifelong struggle for self-acceptance, told by the character Luna, is a universal journey, told through monologues and original songs, co-created with her accompanist Drew Lawrence on keyboard.