The Creeps

Reviewed by Vanessa Cate
The Lounge Theatre
Extended through July 28

RECOMMENDED

Catherine Waller’s fantastical solo-show The Creeps invites us down a dark road where we meet several strange characters. Their fates are intertwined and, as it turns out, so are our own. The audience is encouraged to talk and interact with Waller as she inhabits these odd creatures, seemingly possessed by each of them in turn.

The first is a demonic huckster, who lays down the ground rules and offers us a job. We then meet several more, each trapped in a terrible aching life, indentured to some faceless “doctor”.

Waller demonstrates exceptional commitment and impressive physicality. She creates a whole new reality that seems plucked from our nightmares, yet makes this world seem so inviting that we feel we belong there. Tense, enthralling, sexy and disturbing, the show leads us to discover how our fantasies and our nightmares may, at times, overlap.

The Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd. Hollywood; Performances Thursdays 8:00pm; Extended through July 28; https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/3751?tab=details Running time: Approximately 40 minutes with no intermission.