Recently showcased in digital form at the Rochester Fringe, My Show is a comedy by MaryJayne Waddell, who stars alongside friends Dan LoBuono-Wahl, Andrea Canny, Karl LiBuono-Wahl, Preston Dyar and Tom Vazzana (also the show’s director).
Set mainly within the recent pandemic, this show evolves into a fun piece about life, surviving, illness, friendship, and much more. It is presented in a sketch show format with lots of breaking the fourth wall – we are not just observers of Waddell’s show, but conspirators as well.
This is closely observed comedy with a personal edge, all performed with a definite sense of tongue in cheek. There are moments of surrealism alongside the straightforward recollections of making money during a crisis which kept everyone apart. Most of all, though, is the gift of a performer used to commanding large audiences bringing a deeply personal vignette to the virtual stage.
The whole sense of being apart is gently parodied, while the problems of being apart from family and friends feel strongly portrayed without too much sentiment. Although a couple of sketches around following up Covid symptoms feel a bit tired now (I feel we are somewhat lethargic when it comes to thinking about the pandemic now, having seen it addressed more than once in art), the bulk of the show has much more to say and the main theme of togetherness and mutual support shines through from the start.
My Show streamed during the recent Rochester Fringe. For more about Waddell and her extensive career across theatre, yoga, and more, visit here. For Dan and Karl LiBuono-Wahl’s face mask shop, visit here.