T-O-T-A-L-L-Y!
T-O-T-A-L-L-Y! By Kimleigh Smith
Directed by Paula Killen
T-O-T-A-L-L-Y!KIMLEIGH PRODUCTIONS
Brown Venue, 2010 Orlando International Fringe Festival</strong>
Entering this show, I was vague intrigued by the title device of typing with the CAPS LOCK on and pouring a whole pitcher of hyphens all over everything. But then Ms. Smith bounced on stage in a cheerleaders outfit, pom-poms on her toes, and all became clear – she’s fluent in CHEERSPEAK! She eventually calms down, clears her system of the OMG’s and BFF’s, and we meet her fascinating life. Her story is intensely personal, completely engaging, and even a bit kinky. She leads us from college cheerleading triumphs at a Kansas football championship through partial paralysis, a typical bad relation, and into the deeper understanding of herself, her self image, and the blinding insight that sex can really, really be a lot of fun.
While all that sound very self help-ish, her high energy storytelling and bubbly persona make this a special event. The cheerleading helps her suppress a deeper secret, one that only she would know but couldn’t understand, and this gives us some surprises and a sympathetic thread to follow. We never get a lecture, but instead we tour though the naughty and nice bits of her Id, Ego, and a pretty darn explicit tale of trying to find a date on Craig’s List. I think we can all pick up a few tips from this lady, and the buzz you might pick up in the beer tent is completely true – this is one of 2010’s hot shows.
This event is part of the 2010 Orlando International Fringe Festival. For schedule and ticket information, please visit http://OrlandoFringe.org
