Moogda – A Love Story
Moogda – A Love Story
By Mark J Richman
Patrons Room, 2010 Orlando International Fringe Festival</strong>
This is a real heart breaker. Mark Richman works the Ren Faire circuit, chases women, and considers himself a very specific type of jerk until he meets the girls of his dream. His pet name for her is “Moogda”, and they fall in love, move in together, and wind up in Florida working the parks and dinner theatres. Money’s tight but romance and sex cover for that. Suddenly, a serious health problem strikes her down at 28. He’s devastated, we’re devastated, and the show ends. We hang around and talk about it for a while, and then the venue tech kicks us out for the next show.
Richman’s story is immediate and personal, and the death is so recent that his grieving is not over. We are pulled in, but his staccato story telling needs more drama and foreshadowing and a less anecdotal organization. We get the idea that Moogda was his soul mate and they were having a great marriage, but the death seems that and that alone – the end of something, and Richman unclear about his path forward. While this was certainly good therapy for him, and I’m completely sympathetic, there’s an element of emotional hijacking here. I still need a bit of that 4th wall to see this as a story and not a plea, and I’m not sure where to send the flowers.
This event is part of the 2010 Orlando International Fringe Festival. For schedule and ticket information, please visit http://OrlandoFringe.org
