[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of comedian Mary Basmadjian’s Mom, Are You There?, directed and developed by Soaring Solo Studios at the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2025.
There is something so special about the way Jessica Lynn Johnson from Soaring Solo collaborates with her very creative solo show artists. She guides them, of course, and she has a certain style that imprints on each of her partners. However, she is able to lift up and illuminate each story and every creator in such a way that every production is entirely and unmistakably their own.
Mom, Are You There? is another beautifully crafted and deeply personal play drawn expertly from the mind of Mary Basmadjian.
Her story is one that could be familiar to some of us. Longing for her mother’s love, but always finding it out of reach. Her mother was young when she arrived and unprepared for motherhood. Yet, for some, there is never the right age or circumstance to have a child. Some will not ever feel that deep connection or longing. Mary’s mother was this way and always passing her off to one person or another. But luckily for Mary, she had a home with her grandparents in Pasadena that was brimming with love and laughter and was always the haven she sought.
The pain of needing a mother who doesn’t need you, the longing to be loved and valued by her, is hard to shake. For Mary, all this rejection culminates in self hate, eating disorders, dangerous behaviors and decades of harm. Letting go of what her mother would never be to her has been a long road, and this truly magical and brilliantly performed play has been one of her paths to the freedom letting go can bring.
Mary is a comedian and Mom, Where Are You is very, very funny. The characters she creates, as well as those that meant the most to her in her life, are all perfectly manifested.
I warn you, you may well sniff a little at moments in this play. You will most certainly be laughing a lot. However, the way Mary mixes the laughter with the serious, poignant message of resilience and forgiveness is utterly sublime.
The Hollywood Fringe is a place for every kind of show. Literally. But solo shows are always amongst my favorites in any setting, and this one, Mom, Where Are You?, really won my heart!
You can find out more about Mary Basmadjian and all she does here:
https://www.marybasmadjiancomedy.com/