Vote, Pray, Love

Reviewed by Deborah Klugman
Celebration Theater at the Lex
Through April 16

RECOMMENDED

Ryan O’Connor is a personable entertainer, and Vote, Pray, Love, directed by Marissa Jaret Winokur at the Celebration Theatre, is a personable play. A bit of a hodgepodge, it’s one of those shows whose rough edges are immaterial when measured against the generosity and charm of its writer and lead performer.

O ‘Connor’s prior show, Ryan O’Connor Eats His Feelings (which played at the Celebration in 2010), centered on his compulsive eating and led to his becoming one of 10 contestants on Your OWN Show: Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star the following year. Here, inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love, he recounts his subsequent experiences of becoming sober, moving through and past a painful divorce, and working for the 2016 Hillary campaign in Michigan, an episode in his life that (like his marriage) ended in stunning and stinging defeat. His recollection of that night, and his disappointment at the outcome, is one that most in his audience share and it makes for a cathartic near-conclusion. But even before we get there, O’Connor’s down-home diffidence has drawn you in.

Unlike most autobiographically-based offerings, this one includes supporting players, who render some of the vocals — songs made popular by the likes of Stevie Nicks, Whitney Houston, Reba McIntire — and also play various characters: Oprah (Olivia Amber Liekhus), Reba (Katherine Tokarz), Elizabeth Taylor (Lindsay Heather Pearce) and several of O’Connor’s co-workers on the campaign in 2016. While Oprah has been a real-life presence in O’Connor’s career, an imagined “Reba” is introduced as an inspiration for moving on after his shattering breakup, and a deceased “Liz” — in one of the show’s most central and funniest riffs — acts as conduit between O’Connor and God as he seeks guidance through his travails.

The ensemble, which includes the sexy Alex Nee as the alluring “Trouble,” is spirited and versatile, and they’re supported by a lively band, with musical direction by Andy Arena and Emily Rosenfield. Choreography is by Tokarz. The ensemble wears colorful, comic caftans (uncredited) at various junctures throughout (O’Connor’s is purple, with silver trim).

The narrative’s inclusion of other people’s stories and struggles, along with its political leanings, makes it that much more appealing. A quote from Hillary Clinton serves as lead-in to the script: “None of us gets through life alone. We all have to look out for each other and lift each other up.” That’s the spot-on kernel of this open-armed likable work.

Celebration Theater at the Lex, 6760 Lexington Ave.,, Hollywood; Sun.,7 p.m.; Mon., 8 p.m.; through April 16; www.CelebrationTheatre.com or (323) 957-1884. Running time: one hour and 40 minutes with no intermission.