[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of Shelley Cooper’s solo musical, Emily F-cking Dickinson – America’s Favorite Recluse, part of the 30 Minutes or Less Theatre Festival.
I have seen many of Shelly Cooper’s wonderfully specific biographical solo plays. All unique and beautifully cerebral studies. But, Emily F-cking Dickinson – America’s Favorite Recluse is probably the funniest so far. Laugh out loud funny, actually, which is not exactly what I expected from a play about one of the most worshiped women in the world of poetry and literature!
Shelley is always hauntingly studied in the interpretation of her subjects and Emily F-cking Dickinson is no exception. She seems to embody the celebrated poet, as she has with all the previous characters of hers I have seen, La Dinvina, Rag Doll on a Bomb Site and Jenny Lind Presents P.T. Barnum. Shelley stands alone in an ocean of often brilliant solo work here in L.A., not only in her choice of subject, but also in the use of her fantastic and enchanting voice. She sings their lives, and given that Emily Dickinson was not understandably well known for her vocal talents, Shelley has brought her own unique style of song to her vivid and riveting story.
Shelley is perceptive in her choice of subjects and heartbreakingly candid in her honest approach to their foibles and their failings, as well as their achievements. She chooses people to emulate and explore in ways uniquely hers and this wonderful 30-minute interpretation of the premiere American poet is a riot of music and laughter and breathtakingly intimate, nuanced unfolding.
Emily F-cking Dickinson – America’s Favorite Recluse is another fascinating character work. As this 30-minute play begins, Shelly characteristically wastes no time in exposing her audience to Emily Dickinson. We hit the ground running and the shortness of the show time only seems to serve as a challenge to keep the pressure on and give us an entire world in half an hour. Sometimes less really is more and while Shelley uses every single second to the max. Emily F-cking Dickinson never feels hurried or condensed. On the contrary, the play is nuanced and emotional, funny and intricate. We meet Emily later in her life when she was committed to her home life and rarely ventured out and as she shows us her world, we fall in love with her, as so many poetry lovers have over the years. Shelley Cooper brings her incredible intellect and beautifully displayed obsessions to an eager audience utterly entranced by her candor, her playful lens and her truth.
Emily F-cking Dickinson – America’s Favorite Recluse is another triumph in her canon of unusual and historical character studies, something she is becoming quietly famous for in the solo world. Emily F-cking Dickinson – America’s Favorite Recluse is the perfect expression of a life with one of the more colorful and infamous literary figures, Emily Dickinson. I absolutely loved it!!!
You can find out more about Shelley Cooper and all her shows on her website: https://www.shelley-cooper.com/
The 30 Minutes or Less Festival is held annually at the Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre.