T-O-T-A-L-L-Y!

Theatre of NOTE as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival

Reviewed by Steven Leigh Morris, L.A. Weekly

June 22, 2010


In Kimleigh Smith's one-person show, she portrays herself as a 17-year-old virgin, an ingratiating cheerleader who speaks in Valley-girl cadences, where every sentence is peppered with "totally." She endures a gang rape and the eventual recovery of her sexuality, which was shut down after the attack. This is the formula for what could have been the worst one-woman show ever seen; it's actually among the best, thanks entirely to Smith's superhuman vivacity, her blistering sense of humor, in which, with considerable physical heft, she performs those ridiculous high school cheers in a teensy, revealing skirt with a mania that crosses deep into mockery. She is without shame, and she's earned that right. There's not a trace of self-pity; rather, super-hero determination. And when she details her technique for seducing a lover, the result is one of the most erotic, funniest scenes you'll find on any stage, anywhere. Paula Killen directs, and obviously knows exactly what she's doing.

Theatre of NOTE, 1517 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood; June 25 8:30 p.m.; June 26, 4:15 p.m.; June 27, 4:15 p.m. (323) 856-8611.
 
 
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