It's still wedding season and Brooke Finegold is celebrating with a solo show. Something Blue is an "hour of comedy, poetry and storytelling" all about tying the knot and Finegold's disconnect with this age-old ceremony as a queer person.
Finegold starts the show by entering in her mother's wedding dress to "Chapel of Love" by The Dixie Cups. She tells the audience she wanted to be like her mother growing up, someone she saw as the perfect Christian woman. However, as she grew older, that goal appeared farther from achievable, and the image of her mother's purity began to tarnish. After learning about her father's affair with an employee and his subsequent lies about it, Finegold's view of marriage becomes more cynical. The bulk of the script covers the marriage of a cousin and her sister's wedding. From bachelorette parties to dance floor loneliness, the show discusses the highs and lows of wedding culture.
This show is still a work in progress, a fact that showed during the transitional moments. At times, Finegold had to stop the pacing and flow of the story to return to a script waiting off to the side. I didn't mind her reading of the poems. However, the transitions into and out of the moments of poetry felt clunky. Many of these issues could have been solved with the help of some technical design. A lighting cue could signify the end of one beat and the beginning of another. A sound cue could smooth a transition from a storytelling moment to a poetry recitation. Overall, the show had little to no technical elements. The production value of the entire piece could be greatly improved through collaboration with theatrical technicians.
Finegold is an undeniably charismatic performer. Her comedy is fresh and smart. Her stage presence is inviting and warm. The best examples of her natural wit and charm occurred in moments of audience banter. She impressively volleyed with the crowd and improvised clever and funny bits. My favorite part of the show was the live poem. Finegold remarked on how as queer people, we don't have the same dream of marriage, homeownership, parenthood etc. that so many others have. So we have to make our own dreams. She starts the live poem by asking the audience what their "gay dream" is. She pulls out a typewriter, the same shade of blue as her hair, and takes answers from the audience. These audience conversations quickly turned lively and raucous. Finegold did a fantastic job of drawing people out of their shells and engaging them in intriguing conversations about their lives. After four or five audience responses, Finegold finished a poem using the responses provided. The poem managed to wrap up the concepts into more profound, poignant verses.
It is clear from Something Blue that Finegold knows how to weave a tale and make strangers feel like friends. This show has great potential. The team can lean into the energy of the live poem and perhaps incorporate more moments of audience interaction like it into the script. With a little more theatricality and rehearsal time, this show could be a knockout.
“Something Blue”
Written and performed by Brooke Finegold
October 1- 5, 2024
The Tank (312 W 36th Street, NYC)
Carmen! is a trans-multimedia artist specializing in playwriting, acting and crochet. Originally from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, they are currently based in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, returning to their Atlantic Oceanic roots. Their play Taking the Plunge has been performed at the Tank and the Chain off-Broadway and in the 2023 Fresh Fruit Festival slated this June. Carmen has also worked in front-of-house and technical positions for prominent theater organizations including New Dramatists, Portland Playhouse, Emursive and Future Proof. Carmen’s mission is to use play to create meaningful representation by and for underrepresented communities. For more information on Carmen! Follow them on socials @carmenacetosociety or check out www.carmenburbridge.info
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