A friend and I caught this last night at the Lynn Redgrave Theater on Bleecker Street and really enjoyed it! Normally I shy away from one-person shows, but that's pretty shortsighted in that it can be a very personal mode of expression for an artist and rewarding for an audience. I'm glad I saw this one.
Jamaican-born Stacyann Chin is an engaging performer who held my interest throughout. She's quite funny in how she expresses herself, raw at times, and honest. She talks about being a lesbian, being black, longing to have a child, and dealing with infertility. Along the way she covers both love relationships and relationships with her family, trying to make a living as a poet and a performer, death, cops, Brooklyn, her homeland, homophobia, hate mail, etc.
She performs on a simple set consisting of a place to sit and a circular ramp, which she occasionally paces like a jittery tiger. Director Cynthia Nixon wisely keeps her in near-constant motion, avoiding a pitfall of that theater: pillars that may block your view if the performer stays in one place. As it is, even if your view is blocked momentarily, Chin changes position soon enough and you can see her again.
Ms. Nixon was in the house and chatted amiably with audience members at the intermission and after the show. I have so much respect for her as an professional and as a person. She seems so down-to-earth.
The house (Saturday night) was pretty much filled, and the audience was very diverse, all ages (lots of young people), races and genders. Also, I believe I saw Lupita Nyong'o sitting in the front row on the side. Lupita, was that you? If not, there's someone out there rocking your look very effectively!
I highly recommend checking out MotherStruck! I believe it opens Tuesday.
Updated On: 12/13/15 at 02:13 PM
