Stefan Marks (Photo by Baranduin Briggs)
Reviewed by Asa Fris
The StageCrafts Freeway Circuit Series
Thru November 14
RECOMMENDED
Stefan Marks (Photo by Baranduin Briggs)
My One Woman Show may be a wry way for an “old white man” to title his solo show but it’s indicative of the corny humor you’ll encounter from writer, director, and performer Stefan Marks. He plays an impertinent and aging man who lounges about in pajamas and reminisces over his life. He takes up space unapologetically, eats and drinks carelessly, and uses his socks as makeshift mops to clean up soda he spills on the floor. He even employs this cheeky title as a recurring comedic bit, trying out various ways to begin his performance. His title undeniably captures the essence of his show. Snarky, surface level, meandering – well actually, I’m misleading you a bit. But in all fairness, Marks misleads you too; underneath all that clowning you’ll find something supremely thoughtful and solemnly touching.
At first the play seems to be about Marks finding the right way to begin his story. He certainly deliberates for a while between his various options, bargaining with himself over one or the other. Then, to assist his search, he answers questions he’s written on paper slips and placed in a box, hoping to be inspired by one of his answers, which are often stories of his life. But picking a title is not really what he’s getting at, and these stories serve a double purpose. What at first appear to be comedic tangents or unrelated anecdotes almost all turn out to be pieces in a puzzle.
What he’s building up to — the play’s big reveal — is best left unsaid (no spoilers here), and it might be more entertaining if it’s not anticipated. Don’t worry, he’s added plenty of laughs or at least chuckles along the way, and he commiserates on the sometimes laborious task of viewing a solo show like his. He’s even got a guitar on the stage.
But better yet, My One Woman Show is also one of those theatrical pieces which rewards the audience member that revisits it. With time you clock that his laissez-faire air at the top might spring from denial. Or that he seems to be ever so disembodied when relaying downbeat or reflective stories, enough to make light of their grave nature. And that noticing both might help make clear the purpose of the guitar: to break down walls and put voice to the unspeakable.
To be crystal clear, My One Woman Show: The Search For A Truthful Moment, is both excellently written and performed. It premiered as part of the 2026 Hollywood Fringe Festival and Marks now performs it as part of StageCrafts Freeway Circuit, a program that supports accoladed new work by extending their often too-brief runs.
THEATRE 68 ARTS COMPLEX (The Beckett Theater), 5112 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; Sept. 19, 8 pm. https://www.lafreewaycircuit.com/ Running time approximately one hour
