She Speaks In Tongues

She speaks in refuge and power! Monodrama actress and playwright Lila Kay brings out something our world needs to see, hear, and listen to. I wouldn't have been too daunted by a show that deliberately makes the audience uncomfortable, but in this case it works perfectly. Drug addiction can affect anyone at any given time. When looking at the details behind what makes solo shows work better for storytelling, it isn't about what makes the performance, "the performer's dream"; the proper performance presented would turn into a nightmare. That's exactly what director Sage Kidder wanted the audience to witness on the stage, which is why She Speaks In Tongues is a display for all audiences who want theatre that isn't afraid to show when asked. I left the theatre thinking deeply about how the addiction was danced around on the stage. Kidder's direction of this show brings a realism that the audience can feel. However, what is mindblowing doesn't resolve what the story of a fresh addict is, one who is witnessing her life come crumbling down before her very eyes. Kay, who was the playwright as well, had me confused through the first part. Of all the stories of being an addict, and how an addict thinks and does not hear nor see, I saw a beautiful story of a lost soul and redemption for the audience. Sound designer Anna Stefano helped create a world, and let us hear the thoughts and the voices in someone's head, from the music at the beginning and end, to the final touches on the deep beats that ran throughout the performance. A great show, but even better sound! 

Although funny, the jokes being played were ones that I couldn't simply laugh at. I found it to be a disposition for creativity, and an awakening for the addicts in all of us. In how life could be funny, through the toughest of times, and how we are addicted to finding a connection.  

The effect of this show that caught me by surprise was the lighting effects that signaled moments of change within oneself. The show wasn't beyond what was presented, but an amazing sight for inside of the brain. For those loving a show with psychology, I found it for you! Lighting designer Gabe Viets is a talent that needs to be found by the Broadway Industry Gabe gave us a true work in the lighting of a show with this much raw emotional power, and made me wonder what was coming next, and what an addict's connection is to the world around them. I wouldn't believe it if it weren't a story that brings out the best in humanity, or a cry for help for millions struggling with addictions across the world.