What I liked
I really enjoyed the vulnerable emotional depth of the performance. The concept was brilliant and the actresses’ performances were top tier. The show touches you deeply and leaves you with much food for thought afterwards.
What I didn't like
A two-woman show that is enrapturing for the entire duration is truly impressive! I’d love to see how they develop even more moving forward, and more of their characters and ‘alter-egos’ as they shed more of their layers in the future. I look forward to seeing more of their creative expression!
My overall impression
This show was a spectacular and incredibly unique performance, showcasing the prime obstacle to living our lives authentically and to our fullest capacities in this human experience: our ego. The structural concept of the show is an addict’s support group – paralleling addiction to substances with addiction to our alter-egos, our layers of ‘masks’ of our persona that we wear as protective gear from both pain and trauma. The show hints that many of these masks have been placed on us through our childhood experiences but that there are some we place on ourselves and are subconsciously holding on to. It emphasizes that it’s our responsibility to de-mask and de-layer and let go of our “addiction.” I found this incredibly brilliant and witty because our egos really do function much like an addiction in our lives – it’s our way to cope and self-soothe our pain, the primary purpose of all addictions. We are not free to be ourselves until we overcome and shed our egos, as addicts commonly express similar imprisonment by their addictions. I also really appreciated their attention to detail in showcasing of the realistic experience of shedding our egos, the kind of ‘yo-yo’ effect we experience, that is also akin to addiction, in which we experience the freedom of awareness and discipline of practice of freeing ourselves, but then the also very relatable experience of being triggered and taken back to our wounded place and returning to our alter-ego.
Both Jessica and Megan are phenomenal actresses and have incredible stage presence. I was completely enchanted by the both of them. Their different approaches to their character work was a great reflection of a central message of the piece – that we are all in different stages of shedding our egos, and we must peel back the layers one by one for ourselves. The show was incredibly clever and both characters had you laughing and on the verge of tears at any given moment.
Jessica offered raw, deep and honest vulnerability. Megan offered relatable and crucial comedic relief for a show that has many intense and tragic expressions, whilst offering deep inner wisdom. Their performances were so genuine that you weren’t sure what was real and what was scripted. It’s refreshing to feel and witness such raw humanity, that inspires you to just keep moving along in your journey and reminds you you’re not alone in it all.
