When I hear "one woman show about breast cancer," I get a little nervous. But Pam's show was really, really funny, and went by almost too quickly.
My favorite moment was when in about 2 minutes summed up the challenges of choosing surgery. Describing bi-lateral mastectomy with implants, she channeled a car salesman-like character saying, "One, Two, buckle my shoe it's titty time!"
Like "Seinfeld" Pam's play has no hugging and no learning. The show is not exactly a window into her soul. However she does find a way to bring the awkward, ironic, humorous moments in her "journey" to life.
Some breast cancer women love to find the comedy in their situations, others take offense. I have even gotten criticized in the Twitter-verse for having the occasional silly headline. It's not so much that cancer is funny, but there is humor in the abrupt way our lives are changed.
I give Pam a lot of credit for being honest and open enough to share the funny moments in her unique perspective. Her riff on trying to explain her fertility situation to an imaginary date is a perfect example.
What was so impressive was that most of the audience was young people including a lot of men. Pam is able to take her experience and do more than preach to the choir. She is able to take a touchy subject and make it universal.
As much as I enjoyed it, the play still felt to me like a work in progress. The ending felt slightly abrupt, and compared to the other play it was paired with, it seemed a bit short. On the other hand she incorporates the song "Love Train" which is always a good thing.
Pam did mention to me she hopes more survivors get a chance to see the show. I can't imagine anyone who has been though this not enjoying it and getting a much needed laugh.
There are some links to her venue information in the previous post.
Suzanne
No comments:
Post a Comment