Aloha, Aloha or When I Was Queen NYC Reviews and Tickets

81%

(19 Reviews)

Positive

95%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Funny, Clever, Delightful, Intelligent, Relevant

About the Show

Writer and performer Eliza Bent uses a home movie as a jumping off point to lead audiences on a journey that grapples with personal history, legacy, and cultural appropriation.

In 1996, a young Eliza Bent, along with a friend, created, directed, and starred in an amateur historical film for a school project. In it, Bent portrayed Hawaii’s last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani. 22 years later, Bent reexamines the movie in this solo exploration full of humorous cringe-inducing stories which chart a young Bostonian’s education in race and appropriation.

Member Reviews (19)

Ambitious, Enchanting, Funny

See it if If you like a story about a solo women's life. Funny at times, low key.

Don't see it if with home movies or your uptight about a women who get's a lot of breaks in life.

Smart, Personable, Repetitive, Apologetic, Self-aware

See it if you’d like to see a very personable performer ruminate on cultural privilege as it manifests itself within the world of cultural workers.

Don't see it if you’ve seen so many autobiographical solo shows that you no longer respond to them, no matter how heartfelt & important the message is. Read more

Funny, Quirky, Slow

See it if Stories growing up and life experience. Funny at time and not to long.

Don't see it if One women story, small low key.

Brilliant, Insightful, Picaresque, The pitfalls of cultural privilege, Home movies elevated to performance art

See it if a solo show that elicits great deal of humor from life journey taken by Eliza Bent & all characters she met along the way would thrill you

Don't see it if solo shows, home movies, cultural appropriation, women making less than men for same job would make you unhappy even skillfully presented

A total softball, Sincere, but self-absorption usually is

See it if you’re her: white, woke, in the entertainment industry; you’re ok w/ solo-shows-as-therapy-sessions.

Don't see it if you don’t feel obligated to laugh & make someone feel approved of when they make self-effacing jokes about occupying positions of privilege. Read more

Delightful, Entertaining, Thought-provoking, Intelligent, Quirky

See it if you want to experience a quirky examination of appropriation, personal pitfalls, and the experience of being a young angry artist

Don't see it if you dislike solo performance pieces, require visual spectacle, or want to turn off your brain and relax. Read more

Delightful, Great acting, Funny, Entertaining

See it if You enjoy to watch solo shows based on real life experiences. It was a treat to watch the very talented Elisa telling her story.

Don't see it if If you are armed to trash anything that comes from a privileged performer.

Funny, Touching, Relevant, Thought-provoking

See it if you enjoy intelligent story-telling based on personal experience that sheds light on how our socialization leads to unintended biases.

Don't see it if you dislike monologues or auto-biographicsl plays.

Critic Reviews (3)

"This is not a declaration of wokeness. As it turns out, the likably entertaining Ms. Bent has something more urgent and complex on her mind, though the show doesn’t so much build as meander toward making that apparent...There’s self-flagellation, too, and ultimately a surprising poignancy, as she recounts a snarky piece she once wrote...She wishes that piece had gotten a better edit before it went out into the world. I wish something similar for 'Aloha, Aloha.'"
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"Bent deftly dodges some of the common traps white people fall into when discussing race...Bent is funny, charming, and deeply sincere, a persona that carries the complexity of the story with humor and compassion, and her sophisticated writing offers the kind of frank hilarity that makes solo performance shine...Bent asks her audience to consider their own way of taking space, participating in culture...It's a smart, funny, and vital contribution to the ongoing conversation."
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"Bent's self-study, if unfinished in places, is the kind of candid introspection many of us should be undertaking — though probably funnier and sweeter than most of ours would be...There is no shortcut to confronting our white privilege, Bent observes; no course of action besides acknowledging mistakes, apologizing, and listening. She’s not the first to say so, but she’s funny and convincing, and her cringe-worthy confessions might inspire some self-examination of your own."
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