DIVA (FringeNYC)
About the show
Part of FringeNYC: June is an eccentric New York opera singer. Once celebrated, she's down on her luck. Agorophobic and unable to leave her apartment, she turns to her booze, her pills, her dead stuffed cat and her trusty vibrator Mr. Buzzy for solace. More…
Categories: Drama, Solo Show, International. From Creative Collaborations. Written by Tiffany Barton. Directed by Helen Doig.
FROM THE ARTIST:
“An affirmation of life in all its heartbreak, darkness and obscenity, as powerful and beautiful as you’ll get anywhere.” The West Australian
Meet June, a brilliant, bold, brassy, bad-ass opera singer, given to singing to her dead stuffed cat, reminiscing about her lurid love life, consuming vast amounts of vodka, and chastising her lousy ex-husband Once famous and celebrated, June is down on her luck. She’s lost her man, her looks, her career, her cat, and now she’s on the verge of losing her marbles. Agoraphobic and unable to leave her apartment, she turns to her booze, her pills, her dead stuffed cat and her trusty vibrator Mr Buzzy for solace.
“A searing psychological profile… in your face, immediate and compelling. What a joy to witness an actress not only embrace but trumpet all the jagged little edges, contradictions, hopes and fears of a character so thoroughly."
"'Diva' is sometimes as messy as the lipstick-smeared mouth of June’s bottle of Absolut: At the show I attended, technical issues were numerous enough to be distracting, and June’s sense of herself as trapped bleeds into the show as a lack of forward momentum. Still, this old has-been proves surprisingly relatable as she proudly recounts a life lived on her own terms. It seems a shame that June’s alone. She’s enjoyable company." Full Review
"Barton overacted to an extreme level, and the play—while mostly structurally sound—becomes an experiment in finding out what crazy thing Crazy June can do…The images of June’s possible insanity are ones we’ve seen before…'Diva' hopes to rally these conceits to create a fleshed-out June that the audience can recognize, but for me, 'DIVA' often feels trite, predictable, and sometimes offensive." Full Review
for a previous production "This is a searing psychological profile with no less than a full-throated performance by Tiffany Barton...Barton is fearless in exploring all the complexities of this larger-than-life diva...It’s in-your-face, immediate and compelling...This is a well-written, well-directed and beautifully crafted piece of theatre with a memorable performance that sponsored a most interesting discussion afterwards in the lobby. Highly recommended." Full Review
for a previous production "The play has a great grounding in reality…It's also beautifully constructed. So June first gets your undivided attention, then lets you into her story, wins your sympathy and sets you up for an absolute zinger of a climax...An affirmation of life, with all its heartbreak, darkness and obscenity, as powerful and beautiful as you'll get anywhere. Barton is simply great as June. She nails her pungent Brooklyn accent, her fragile swagger and her tempestuousness perfectly." Full Review
See it if you delight in a one-person show where a young diva brings music and camp to his cabaret venue with energy and elan. So much fun!
Don't see it if dislike one-person shows that get a very campy, loud, and insane!
See it if want to see a lively solo performance.
Don't see it if you're tired of stories about how sad a woman is without a man.
See it if you want to see a very good one woman show about an aging, down on her luck entertainer. It's a very well written script.
Don't see it if You don't like one man shows dealing with difficult situations.