Our Lady, a 90 minute performance art piece written and performed by James Fluhr takes us on a frantic journey that many gay youth endure. An evening that reminded me of varied elements from Hedwig, Laramie Project, drag performance/Lady Gaga show, and even Clint Eastwood yelling at an empty chair – this is not your typical New Rep show. James Fluhr is a masterful performer, embodying a variety of roles, he is able to fluidly and easily switch from one to another. Most notable was his transformation into his mother, embodying her Southern charm and mannerisms, it’s a joy to see a skilled performance. Fluhr makes use of almost every inch of the space, moving around for the various parts of the show - above, below, and all around including some audience participation. This struck me as a piece that I could see at Club Oberon where patrons standing with drink in hand move around to follow Fluhr on the journey. Fluhr was supposed by an outstanding creative team who really were able to immerse the audience in his world. The simple, but effective scenic designers – Fluhr and Courtney Nelson, augmented by Matthew Haber’s projection design which added another layer to the performance. Chelsea Kerl created a great costume for the Our Lady character. Dan Alaimo (lighting) and Yi-Chun Hung (sound) rounded out the design team where we went from a room with the fluorescent work lights on, to various locations to a nightclub with booming music and great lighting. While Fluhr is a masterful storyteller, the story he tells still needs some work. The piece tries to tackle too much – gay suicide, both on a personal level and also stories we’ve heard on the news, bullying, parental issues, it’s a lot to stuff into this short piece and it may be better to pair down and delve more into certain aspects. The scene with Fluhr’s mother really allows us to see this relationship and what it meant to the young boy, while others really didn’t land as well. The ending transformation and show are fun and great to watch, but it seems this could be tightened to make this a great piece.
~ Frank Furnari New Rep Reviewer
