The title for this show was quite misleading. I walked into the preview assuming I would find a strange comedy. Instead, I found a compelling personal drama. Actress Sara Kunz stood on a chair looking down into an abyss. Wind whistled in our ears as she subtly swayed forward and back. She began to cry. The moment lingers, allowing the audience time to realize that she might be willing to jump. The theater went black.
Sara excitedly considered a challenging hike in Hawaii. She loved physical challenges, they allow her to push to her physical limits and beyond. The park announcements in her iPod headset kept reminding her of the dangers. The announcer offered much needed humor, since she seemed to be directing her recorded commentary directly at Sara.
At an outdoor festival, Sara discovered that people would actually pay her money when she performed with her hula hoop. She showed us her act, which was incredible and graceful. She beamed when performing, a human flame, making the hula hoop move in unexpected and magical ways. Realizing that people actually paid her for her art, she decided to travel the world, busking along the way to supplement her life. Her parents didn’t think this was a wise life choice, but her mind was made up.
Someone she thought was her friend took a part of her that sent her into a spiraling depression. The scene I sketched had her seated in a therapist’s office as she described how her life had been put on hold. We returned to the Hawaiian hike where she was crossing a dangerous ravine that only had a PVC ladder as a crossing point. The ladder was across two chairs, but her terror as she crossed was palpable. I identified with this scene as I had just painted a mural and reaching up to paint the sky, high on the wall, was terrifying on the tall swaying scaffolding.
This performance was testimony to the fact that Sara had not only overcome the horrible experience in her past, but that she also has the strength to share her story so that others who might feel the same guilt and debilitating shame might realize that they are not alone. So don’t go to Coconuts, Coral, and Cow S#it expecting comedy, go to be challenged and inspired by the strength of the human spirit. I highly recommend the show.
Tickets are $8 plus a $10 Fringe Button.
The Green Venue is in the black box theater behind the Repertory Theater, 1001 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803
Remaining show times are:
2:00 PM
6:15 PM
5:45 PM