American Whore Story, described as "an anthology of autobiographical tales of self-compromise," is Naomi Grossman's new solo show. American Whore Story gives insight into the creator's life pre- and post-her breakout role in American Horror Story.
Naomi Grossman is no stranger to the hustle. She was an overachieving, gifted, and ambitious youth. She carried this entrepreneurial, determined spirit with her to Hollywood. There, she faced rejection after rejection as an actor while working a strange array of day jobs, from driving the Red Bull car to a background actor role in She's All That. During this time, she started a relationship with a man in Mexico, at first long distance but later, he crossed the border to move in with her. Shortly after moving in, he drunkenly fell off the Santa Monica Pier, screaming "Te Amo," resulting in a week-long coma, several broken bones, and a significant brain injury. The two break up and Grossman returns to the hustle, eventually landing a job as a Spanish language teacher in Beverly Hills. The only problem is that the job requires teachers to be native speakers, and Grossman does not. So, she lied and pretended to be from Argentina. She worked there for eight years before she received the call that she booked Pepper in American Horror Story. While working as a teacher, she fell for and dated one of her students. After dating for a while, Grossman discovered her boyfriend was gay and had been cheating on her. After the breakup, still in the midst of her fame from AHS, Grossman went through several cognitive shifts, realizing that she doesn't need to focus on trying to be someone else for anyone but, instead, should fully embrace her authentic self.
Grossman's script contains many moments of clever comedy, from asking the audience to read sections of her mother's published erotic memoir to teaching the different ways to conjugate "butt fuck” in Spanish; Grossman found ways to keep the crowd laughing. She also used many word plays and alliterations throughout the script. However, the delivery of some of the alliterations could have been more precise so as not to lose the potency of the humor. Maybe if the script had focused on the big comedic punchlines, the comedic tone would have felt more effective instead of using so many little zingers. In addition, I think the text could have benefitted from a more cohesive use of themes to create a throughline with the personal antidotes. Themes certainly arose. However, I found myself wishing for more of a crafted storyline than a collection of vignettes.
The projections by Gabrieal Griego provided visually engaging storytelling methods, including recordings of Grossman from when she was young to the present, clips of her portraying famous deceased Hollywood Stars and renderings of an acid trip at Universal Horror Nights. The creative use of the projections created compelling stage pictures and added to the overall entertainment value of the piece.
Grossman presents the piece as a "love letter to AHS fans." Fans of the show and Grossman as a performer are indeed sure to delight in the show. With some tweaking to the tone and themes of the show, audiences of all kinds would be poised to fall in love with the cult-followed actor.
“American Whore Story”
Written and Performed by Naomi Grossman
Directed by Richard Israel
January 23-25, 2024
AMT Theater (354 West 45th 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