Rachel Austin (Photo by Kenny Johnston)
Reviewed by Madison Mellon
Hollywood Fringe Festival at the Los Angeles LGBT Center
Through June 21
Rachel Austin (Photo by Kenny Johnston)
Rachel Austin’s The Do Over tackles an inherently difficult premise: What if you could revisit the worst day of your life and get it perfect this time? In this 45-minute solo piece, Austin revisits the day her mother died, reconstructing it through a blend of comedy, storytelling and music. The result is an earnest and often engaging exploration of grief that benefits enormously from Austin’s charisma as a performer, even as the show’s structure prevents it from fully realizing its most ambitious ideas.
As a performer, Austin is immediately winning. She possesses a natural warmth and energy, navigating the piece’s tonal shifts with confidence. Grief narratives can easily become emotionally overwhelming or self-serious, but Austin consistently finds moments of humor that make the material accessible without diminishing its weight. Her jokes and playful theatrical flourishes do not trivialize the loss at the center of the story; instead, they illuminate the very human absurdity of trying to control something as uncontrollable as death. The result is a piece that feels deeply personal while remaining broadly relatable.
Several design elements contribute significantly to that appeal. A guitar that serves as a manifestation of her mother’s voice is a creative touch, allowing a tangible presence for an absent character. A magical file cabinet that produces whatever object Austin requires provides some of the show’s most whimsical moments, while the projections are smoothly integrated into the storytelling (set and props designed by Tyler Neufeld). The production embraces a heightened, almost childlike theatrical logic that often proves charming. In fact, the piece may benefit from leaning even further into that sensibility — the magical file cabinet seems to beg for even more fantastical elements.
Where The Do Over struggles is in its overall construction. Early in the piece, Austin presents a spreadsheet detailing everything she hopes to accomplish during this imagined perfect final day with her mother. Once the audience knows the list, much of the subsequent action consists of watching Austin methodically work through it. Rather than generating discoveries, reversals, or unexpected complications, the narrative generally unfolds as anticipated. The result is a prolonged stretch that feels less like a dramatic journey than a countdown.
A similar issue emerges in the show’s relationship to music. Austin clearly possesses strong musical theater instincts and a lovely singing voice, and the production includes an original song that allows Austin to shine. Yet aside from that number and a brief dance sequence near the end, there is no other singing throughout. This leaves the show occupying an uncertain space between musical and non-musical storytelling. It seems additional songs or musical sequences might emerge as a defining structural element, but they never do.
Despite that lingering sense of unrealized possibility, Austin has crafted a heartfelt, funny, sincere exploration of grief. Bigger risks, whether through music, theatricality, or narrative structure, could push it further into something really singular. Even in its current incarnation, however, Austin proves herself a compelling performer with a deeply personal and engaging story.
Los Angeles LGBT Center, 1125 N. McCadden Place, June 21; 9:30 pm. Hollywood Fringe Festival – the do over Running time 45 minutes, no intermission.
