The uniquely special theater partnership known as
E/D, comprised of
Emily Michaels King and
Debra Berger, is remounting their glorious pink explosion of a show entitled simply
The Show. Originally scheduled for March 2020,
The Show finally premiered in the fall of 2022. And now, two and a half years later, they're bringing it back. As they mention in the intro, a lot has happened in the last two and a half years. They're different, and we're different.
The Show may be a little different, but it's pretty close to what I remember of the original, which is and "emotionally raw, thoughtfully executed, and completely engrossing show by two uniquely talented artists, who combine to form a whole greater than the sum of its parts." Read on for
my review of the 2022 production (with some slight modifications), and then
click here for all of the details and to purchase $20 tickets through April 5 only. I guarantee you will not see a more original
Show this year.
The Show defies description. It's a rumination and exploration of what it is to be human, to be a woman, to be a young teenager growing up in the '90s. Debra and Emily share the most vulnerable parts of themselves, from their childhood traumas to their grown-up fears. They use recorded music of the era (plus some live singing from Debra), movement and dance, recorded dialogue, live dialogue, and lots of pink clothing, accessories, and props to tell their stories in a non-linear, almost stream-of-consciousness manner.
The Show evokes palpable feelings of one's past, from the awkwardness of a middle school dance, to the inexplicable rage of teenagers, to the pure joy of rocking out to your favorite song. It sometimes feels random as they jump from scene to scene, but the individual pieces are thoughtfully arranged so that by the end, we feel like we've been on an epic journey with these two and arrived at a full circle moment.
 |
Debra Berger and Emily Michaels King
)(photo courtesy of E/D |
The audience is let into the theater just before showtime, where Emily and Debra are lying on the floor of the new Red Eye Theater space (more intimate than the 2022 venue, Crane Theater, making the show feel even more communal) and we begin with a meditation (which I kind of think every show should). A few outfits are carefully arranged on the floor around them, and a long clothes rack at the back of the stage holds neatly hung clothing in every possible shade of pink, like a life-sized Barbie doll dream closet. Some items are eventually worn, some are just for display, and most end up on the floor (along with everything else) by the end of the show. Debra's alter ego is the "Country Star," and Emily's is the "Superhero," which they at times transform into in their middle school fantasies, meeting in this imaginary world. This is also a story of friendship; you can feel the love and support between these two artists as they perform at times together, at times stepping aside to hold space for the other. I love how they each tape off a square for themselves, overlapping in one corner like a Venn diagram, because this show is like the best Venn diagram of Emily and Debra's overlapping and complementary talents as artists.
The Show is a well curated selection of scenes, stories, dances, moments that bring the audience on an emotional journey through the past and back into the present. It's easy to connect to their stories, with many relatable moments whether or not you were a teenage girl in the '90s. It touches on those raw places of emotion, insecurities, fears, and the endless journey of trying to figure out who you are and where you belong. It feels like a cathartic experience, for the artists as well as the audience.
I was more than happy to revisit The Show again, and you can tell these two "women artists" (you can buy t-shirts or buttons with this phrase) are too. Everything about it is so thoughtful and specific and on theme, from the pink notebook paper folded program, to the dizzying array of pink '90s era props, to the incredible lighting design that feels at times like a rock concert, to the sound that goes from soft to loud incorporating recorded tracks with live dialogue (lighting design by Karin Olson, sound design by Emily with sound engineer Bevibel Harvey). There's something about it that's so joyful, so freeing, but also deeply emotional and relatable, that makes it a pleasure to experience once or many times.
See The Show at Red Eye Theater in South Minneapolis (street parking available on surrounding streets) through April 5.
