The Off-Broadway Theatre Review: Liz Kingsman’s One Woman Show

By Ross

“Wildfowl“, is the name given, to self and to the idea. And it fits, in the strangest of all possible great hilarious ways. Along with the emphatic statement, “you are brave, you are sexy, in a non-threatening way.” It says so much, in such a pointedly funny way, that we can only lean in and perk up our blacktail in curious wonder as the bird chirping leads us into the fantastic meta-framework of Liz Kingsman’s mindboggling great One Woman Show, now playing, sadly only until August 11th at the sweet intimate Greenwich House Theatre. The British comic flies high, blurring the lines with abundance and shifting our focus from the here and now to the abstracted idea of time and place within a moment’s notice. Her structuring plays with our senses and our idea of performative constructs, leading us most wildly into definitive spaces where ‘realness’ and ‘beginnings’ mean one thing before transporting us into another.

Trust me when I say that you must make your way downtown to see this, even as I’m being purposefully abstract and vague, because this is, in the most alluring and wonderful kind of way, one of those shows where the less you know about this quirky, sexy project, the better. As written and performed deviously by Kingsman (Apple TV’s “Hijack“), the show redefines the narrative, showcasing itself to be as smart and as sly as can be. It’s wickedly direct at deconstructing a genre that she obviously admires wholeheartedly, but it is also clear she has a few issues with it. She dynamically peels back layers from a unique, chaotic, and agile angle that I’ve never seen and experienced before in a framework that is stereotypical and obvious, without ever mocking herself or all those that have come before her.

Directed sharply and wisely by Adam Brace (Broadway’s Just For Us), Kingsman dons the awkward guise of a troubled mess of a woman navigating a life that is both odd and disturbing, while being relatable and authentic, in a flighty weird sort of way. “You’re not a mess, you just want to be seen as one,” she is told in one of the smarter set-ups, as the plot shifts and flies forward and around herself. In and out of the meta-formula with a sharpness that both keeps us off balance and totally engaged, she forces us to lean into the hilariously styled plots that center around sexuality, lust, and engagement, captivating us all by her off-the-cuff roundabouts that keep us tuned in completely.

She expertly physicalizes others, like her so well-put-together boss, Dana, while embracing and critiquing the structure that she is expanding herself within. She struts and saunters through her act within an act most magically, jabbing at nonsense from an angle that expands rather than shuts us out. It’s pretty solidly brilliant in its formulation, finding honesty in its off-handedness that hilariously digs itself into something completely inspiring. The tall drink-of-water that grows and blossoms out of its abstraction skewers us all, taking us hostage in its clever contraption and stripping herself down pseudo-naked for us all to see. It’s a sharp and wickedly great Fleabag reference that only elevates the piece up higher, giving more light and context the more it undresses, thanks to the fine assist by designer Chloe Lamford (Broadway’s Hillary and Clinton), lighting designer Daniel Carter-Brennan (Leo Reich’s Literally Who Cares!?), and choreographer Joshua Lay (Palace’s Funny Girl).

One Woman Show, which opened at Soho Theatre in October 2021 before transferring to London’s West End where it was nominated for an Olivier Award, as well as winning and being nominated for numerous other awards around the globe, winks and nods at itself and the audience with a knowing mischievous glee. Kingman stumbles and flies around the meta-taping and the meta-presentation with an expertly aimed eye, giving it all while appearing to be something quite different. The heightened awareness of what is being poked at and embraced is Wildfowl-wonderful, pushing a pseudo-narrative that is seductive and devious inside the messiness and allure of what it is and what it wants to be. Go see it if you have the chance, and open yourself to a hilariously sharp, satirical experience like no other.

For tickets and information, go to: https://onewomanshownyc.com/ but hurry, you only have until August 11th to catch this Wildfowl / One Woman Show.