Miss America's Ugly Daughter

See it if You want to see what happens to the life of an abused child who doesn’t really get over her childhood. A neat package of a play.

Don't see it if You don’t want to see a woman in her 70s dragging the memory of her mother through the mud. She may deserve it but it’s a Sad life journey

See it if You like biographical one person shows. You will laugh, you will wince & be moved by the story Ms. Grant shares about life with her mother.

Don't see it if You don't care for biographical one-woman shows.

Also This was a very well written, staged and performed one-woman show. It felt like a healing exercise to a life long wound to the psyche a mother inflicted on her daughter.

The tale she spun of a narcissistic mother, who, raised in an emotionally dysfunctional and deprived home life, brutally damaged her daughter's self esteem.

A dysfunctional relationship between mother and daughter is not uncommon. We all know a Bess Myerson type and possibly possess some of those traits, but when she is the person who raised you, it is hard to ignore.

This show was a good illustration of the scientific concept of the nature vs. nurture dynamic. When there is self awareness of one's shortcomings and bad personality traits, one may work to compensate for them, when there isn't, victims are left in the whirl-wind of parental dysfunction.

As brutal a picture as Ms. Grant acted out for us of her mother, Ms. Myerson, in the end it came full circle to the whole purpose of doing this show: forgiveness.... Read more Read less

See it if You like mother daughter dynamics. This is not very flattering to Bess Myerson but it is her daughter’s journey to where she is today.

Don't see it if You don’t like one person plays or have no interest in a daughter’s journey with her mother’s fame, etc.

See it if you want to hear how mothers can impact children's lives, and not for the good. You want to commiserate with and admire the actress.

Don't see it if you can't bear to see someone's mostly miserable life unfold in front of you. This story is well-told with humor. But it is still sad.

See it if You have some recollection of Bess meyerson and are interested in her life

Don't see it if You don't know and don't really care about Bess or her daughter is

See it if You followed career of Bess Myerson

Don't see it if You are expecting an action packed production. If you are up for something uplifting

See it if You would like to know more about the first Jewish Miss America through her daughters eyes.

Don't see it if You don’t want to hear about the toxic relationship that Bess Myerson had with her daughter.

Also At the end of this show Berra Grant actually mentions rising above the treatment of her mother and something along the lines of forgiveness for their toxic relationship, but it is clear throughout this production that she thinks nothing more of her late mother than a narcissistic kleptomaniac. In addition the show goes on about 20 minutes too long for the format of a one woman show being interrupted by several phone calls from her mother.... Read more Read less

See it if to learn more of Bess Myerson's life with all its pitfalls

Don't see it if You want a story this play is the actress telling about her life with her mother

See it if you remember the first Jewish Miss America & NYC icon & are curious to learn more about her.

Don't see it if you do not like solo, intermissionless plays.

Also Told from Grant's perspective, one cannot but wonder how much is exacerbated or embellished, as we do not get to hear Mom's side of the story. Not exactly a stereotype "Mommie Dearest," still there are some painful recollections of growing up the only child of this public figure. And being Jewish certainly is at the core of both of their stories and paths.
An actress, Ms. Grant is not. Her Playbill resume touts multiple writing credits, so it is reasonable to observe that those tools might have been utilized to edit and tighten up this piece. The story moves awkwardly to indicate the passage of time with the author's bad dancing to the music of the era & the repeatedly early morning phone calls to daughter from Mom.
Forgiveness is the ultimate lesson & in Ms. Grant's case, distinction is earned that she showcases that in her autobiographical play, despite its flaws.... Read more Read less

See it if you are willing to believe a daughter who's brave enough to tell uncomfortable truths about her celebrity mother

Don't see it if you need to believe all mothers are saints

Also I liked this; I felt considerable sympathy for Barra Grant as she unspooled the tale of her narcissistic mother. Ms. Grant is soft-spoken and can come across as speaking in a monotone, but some of the events she relates are so appalling that I kept thinking, "Well, what other way CAN the child of this godawful Drama Queen Bee react, EXCEPT to try to efface herself and be as low-key as possible?" Funny, brave and well-written. And yes - I have, in fact, known well-off mothers who are so tight with a buck that they would shepherd their pregnant-and-in-active-labor daughters onto the subway, rather than hail a cab ("Are you crazy? Think of the meter!") to go to the hospital.... Read more Read less

See it if If you know of Bess and want to learn more about her relationship with her daughter

Don't see it if Good energy put a little slow. I think Women in their 50s or older will relate best to the story.

See it if You'll learn or recall everything about Bess Myerson while enduring fallout effect she had on her daughter:Mommy Dearest without coat hanger

Don't see it if If you dont remember Burt Parks. If you want to see Bess Myerson on stage: regrettably, she is an actress off stage who speaks by phone

See it if Anyone woman who has a mother /daughter relationship will appreciate the depth of the comments. Enjoyed the dynamics of the mother/daughter

Don't see it if If you do not like one woman shows or not into dynamics of relationships then this is not for you...

See it if You'd like a little insight into the private side of Bess Myerson.

Don't see it if You're tired of hearing about how weird a Jewish mother can be.

See it if if you are interested in Bess Meyerson

Don't see it if her daughter had a tough life and can be hard to watch

See it if You have any knowledge of Bess Myerson and are interested in her life and how it affected her daughter Interesting Family insights

Don't see it if If you’re not into one-person shows or if you assume this is just personal therapy for the star (it’s much more than that)

See it if you are interested in the times and back story of Bess Myerson

Don't see it if you don't like one-person shows or if you don't know or care about Bess Myerson

See it if You wish to witness a depressing story of a narcissistic mother and her daughter.

Don't see it if It was dreadful story that could have stayed off the stage.

See it if behind the scenes view between a complex, candid, and tumultuous relationship straight from the source! A rare find and enjoyable night out.

Don't see it if dislike one-man-shows, seek an ideal mother-daughter relationship, uncomfortable with suicidal tendencies, looking for a grand set and plot.

See it if you enjoy introspective stories, you've always wondered what happens to the daughters of pagent winners

Don't see it if you like fast-paced shows, one-woman shows are not your thing

Also An interesting story about the daughter of a pagent winner.
Not especially fast-paced but covers the entire life of the daughter and her relationships with various people in her life, particularly her mother.
Transitions, staging, and lighting were all quite good and the writing has some quite funny moments in it, but also poignant. The story itself is quite amazing, but some tightening of the script could help.... Read more Read less

See it if Either: a)Enjoy one-person shows. b) Have an interest in celebrity lives and/or c) Interested in variations in mother-daughter Relationships

Don't see it if You dislike intimate theater pieces.

See it if You remember Bess Meyerson and want to learn more about her and her daughter through her daughters eyes

Don't see it if You don’t like one woman shows which create a stage for deep feelings If you say Bess who?

See it if You want to hear about Bess Myerson and the way she treated her daughter

Don't see it if You don't want to hear constant nagging and whining. This is a very self indulgent, negative diatribe on someone's mother

See it if You enjoy watching a 90 minute therapy session unwind on stage and are interested in the dark side of Bess Myerson.

Don't see it if You find it cringy to watch a therapy session unwind on stage.

Also The first half was mildly interesting and funny. The show quickly became a self-indulgent cathartic(for the author/actress) medium to work out her mommy issues. The fame and iconic New York celebrity that was Bess Myerson made it mildly interesting. The little dance moves were pathetic and sitting right in front of the artist was uncomfortable because you really had to hold back laughing at her. She greets the audience at the door at the end which was also uncomfortable as by that time the impulse is to flee as quickly as possible.... Read more Read less

See it if If you want a milder staged version of "Mommy Dearest" you might enjoy this. There are a number of funny lines but ...

Don't see it if you are expecting some deep insight into Bess Meyerson.