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

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.'"
Read more

"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."
Read more

"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."
Read more