Jean Franzblau (Photo by Lori Shepard)
Reviewed by G. Bruce Smith
Hollywood Fringe – The Broadwater Second Stage
Through June 29
RECOMMENDED
From the moment Jean Franzblau comes on stage in her one-woman show, My Mother Doesn’t Know I’m Kinky, you are charmed. A petite performer in a black T-shirt and dark blue jeans, she has an almost Peter Pan presence on stage.
Which could lead to some measure of audience dissonance given that for more than an hour, Franzblau will take you on an intimate journey through her sexual and romantic history — and, as the title makes clear, not your run-of-the-mill erotic experiences.
From her childhood (when she was known as “Queen of the Kissing Girls”) to her long-term relationships to her happy discovery of BDSM (bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism), Franzblau doesn’t hold back on details or vulnerability.
She sprinkles her monologue with some humor (though, from the title, you might expect her whole show to be comedic) and effectively plays others besides herself, including her mother and lovers.
Her description of her relationship with Zach, a dominant in her first foray into BDSM, dispels what might be widely held beliefs about such partnerships. In fact, one of the most eye-opening and impactful lines in her show is “Zach’s biggest fear is he’s a monster.”
Franzblau, aside from being an actor, is an intimacy professional for TV, film, and theater and also a teacher of cuddle therapy. Her director, Carly DW Bones, who does a lovely job moving Franzblau fluidly across the stage, is also an intimacy director and sex educator. In the program notes, Bones says “Sharing stories about ‘taboo’ subjects like sexuality is an especially powerful act to break the silence, shame and stigma that hold many of us back from living as our most authentic selves.”
This is undoubtedly true, but one’s sexual history does not necessarily make for compelling drama without a sense of stakes involved. And the stakes for Franzblau — if any at all — did not come through clearly. The closest she comes is in her conversations with her mother, but because those talks are so loving, it hardly feels like there’s much for Franzblau to lose.
Despite that, Franzblau is such a delightful presence on stage and her journey into kink so sweetly engaging that it’s hard not to go along happily for the ride.
The Broadwater Second Stage, 6320 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Wednesday, June 19 at 9 pm; Sunday, June 23 at 1 pm; and Saturday, June 29 at 6:30 pm. https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10366. Running time: One hour and 10 minutes with no intermission.
