In the Tides of Love

What I liked

See above

What I didn't like

My overall impression

In the Tides of Love is a delicate kiss of affirmation that despite how impressionable our minds are, and how crushable our hearts, there is wisdom to be found in romance. Wearing an aching heart on her sleeve, Alex Varvar Punch draws you in with a poetic stream of consciousness that dances with the divinity and naïveté that is young love.

She introduces you to the most intimate parts of her mind, body, and soul, only for you to discover (for some while silently sobbing) that her experience may not be too different from your own. Alex Punch is an intoxicating performer, with a fierce yet softened stage presence that captures your attention entirely. Lyricism is Punch’s second nature, and her writing drips with profound truths about self-love. She accounts for the all too familiar cycle of managing invasive thoughts and identifying subconscious self-sabotaging habits so we can, finally, live and love with greater clarity and openness.

Her performance is a brilliant manifestation of the mental gymnastics that come with being a thinking, feeling human, who seeks meaningful connection. Lucky for us, Punch is a keen observer, as well as a hyper-sensitive and intelligent being, with a gift of translating the emotional human experience into a refreshingly relatable and disarmingly provocative art form. She masterfully articulates the juggling act of changing form and taking new shapes while living in motion. It’s as if you are in her bedroom with her, because you are. Her every movement is intentional, her body moving through the space in tandem with the tempo of her words, create emotionally charged spells that rise and fall with a pause, or maybe a question you never asked yourself but instantly knew your answer to when it was posed. Punch invites you into her room and onto her carpet, making space for the romantic in all of our hearts to rest and recharge.

Punch is a modern-day example of Theodore Rosevelt’s depiction of the Woman in the Arena. Punch is a brave young soul, that knows the great devotions that come with daring greatly and putting oneself out there. For Alex, she dares to believe she truly deserves what she desires. Four sold-out shows are a testament to how she spends herself in the worthy cause of making vulnerable conversations about the delicate and complex human experience of life in love accessible, safe, and nourishing.
 
In the Tides of Love is a deeply thoughtful homage to Punch’s personal journey to date and the notable relationships in her life that have acted as catalysts for self-discovery. Her autobiographical play takes shape center stage and you feel grateful to know her. She speaks from her heart, and you feel it. She celebrates your emotional nature and your limitless potential, and you feel it. In the Tides of Love leaves you feeling grateful for the role live performance plays in facilitating contemporary conversations about intimate experiences, as well the opportunity to bear witness a woman daring greatly.