Crown Hill Cemetery
Crown Hill Cemetery
By Lisa Haas
Directed by Jocelyn Sawyer
Creative Evolution
Blue Venue, Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival</strong>
Little Lisa Haas grew up next to a brand new cemetery in the suburbs of Denver. Proximity to the graveyard and her family’s fixation on death and tendency toward suicide has made her a bit apprehensive about the afterlife. Losing pets along the way didn’t do much to soften the blow of her grandfather’s demise, nor did her uncle’s hobby of photographing deceased relatives on their way out. Little Lisa never buys into “It’s just like going to sleep.” Youthful skepticism – don’t you just hate it?
While the monologue has some funny material, it drags more than it soars. Her explanation of the difference between “good” funeral food and “bad” funeral food is the pinnacle of the story. It seems Ms. Haas realizes the weaknesses here, she offers to stop the stuff about death any time and pull a “happy” story out of a paper bag. We had one such reprise – a story about ferrets and a litter box was kind of cool, but what we all really appreciated were the cheese flavored Doritos she passed around. The injunction of no food or drink in any of the Shakespeare theaters seems to relax a bit more each season.
More information about Creative evolution may be found at http://creative-evolution.comThis show is presented as part of the 17th Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival. Information on times, tickets, and venue location my be found at http://OrlandoFringe.org/<em> <p </em>
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