Entwined at the 2011 Minnesota Fringe Festival
Amy Salloway – Awkward Moment Productions

Amy is well known on the Fringe circuit for brilliant, funny, self-deprecating comedy, generally in solo performance.   I love that she is broadening her artistic range by working in concert with another performer in a “two person solo show” – and I love that that person is H. R. Britton, who is eminently suited to the role of Bean. Amy’s ability to take depict a nerdy, awkward, socially inept character like Bean and make us love him – even when he is being a jerk – is what shines here.  And her face.  I love to watch Amy’s face on stage when she falls in love:  always have, always will.  How the two actors manage the chemistry they have, even at separate music stands, is one of the great mysteries of stage dynamics for me, but it happens. The songs are wonderfully funny and should get a YouTube clip or two in and of themselves.

I do have to take issue with the reviewer who said that there was “too much self-loathing” in the show.  I mean, really: how much self-loathing is “enough” self-loathing?  There is exactly as much self-loathing in this piece as Amy needs.  It may not be a comfortable experience for the audience at times, but I believe it is an authentic one. What is missing for me at this point, is a path for others who have experienced this sort of loneliness, self-doubt and, yes, self-loathing – for we are legion – to a place where we can love ourselves. But I admire the author for tackling difficult material and putting it out there whether or not that material resolves itself into something “slick and finished.”  The program notes make it clear the piece is still a work-in-progress, which is one of the things Fringe Festivals are for.  And where works-in-progress are concerned, Amy remains one of my favorite pilgrims. Go see this show.