What I liked
I loved the use of projections on the back wall to enhance ambiance/give context/add comedy. I appreciated the elements of absurdism and dark comedy, centering the story around a quirky likable (while troubled and human) protagonist, humorous character portrayals throughout such as the personification of Internalized Homophobia & Misogyny, interesting and dynamic lighting design, complete and purposeful use of stage, interaction with the audience, and most importantly, delving into various heavy subject matter that is worthy of examination and illumination (LGBTQIA journey, mental health struggles, suicidal ideations, etc). Ariel and Caroline teamed up to create a hilarious, absurd, poignant, original and deeply important piece of solo theatre art.
What I didn't like
Because Caroline is a profoundly funny and imaginative Solo Artist she holds the power to not only be hysterically funny, but to also be hysterical in the darker sense. I would love to see her add 10 minutes to the show so it runs a full 60 (or even 70 minutes would be warranted given the heavy topics she addresses) to further expand and vulnerably share on the childhood abuse she already bravely starts to hint at in the show. Not only this, but as someone who relates to being both Queer and growing up in fundamentalist Christianity, I would like to see her reveal more of the pain (not just the humorous retelling) of that sort of suppression and bigotry. While I know this work is not easy, I feel her potential to edutain, heal and transform audiences through BOTH comedy AND drama/vulnerability is clearly there and can continue to be developed. I’d love to see her hit the college market (possibly high schools too) with the messages of this show. Essentially, add more dark, disturbing, vulnerable and EMOTIONALLY revelatory content. When you reveal your authentic self and complex truth and are then able to make an audience laugh, cry, and think deeply, this is what Solo Theatre is all about.
My overall impression
Utilizing elements of absurdism and dark comedy to broach the subject of mental health, sexual trauma, dealing with homophobia (both internal and external) and recovering from Christian fundamentalism is an excellent way to explore such heavy topics.
