[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of Elena Martinez’s FUNERAL SHOW, directed by Natasha Mercado, at the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2025.
Elena Martinez loves her father. FUNERAL SHOW is a tribute to him, but it’s also a bit of a cautionary tale. Elena’s father is still very much alive. But over the last year, their relationship has gone from tense to intolerable, at least for Elena. And so she has decided to mark this very real turning point in their relationship with this funeral/show…FUNERAL SHOW.
It might seem odd to hold a funeral for a person who still lives, but Elena has a very good point here. After all, mourning and funerals are for the living, aren’t they? The dead aren’t aware of anything we do once they are gone, in spite of what billions of you may believe. So maybe having a send off before you are actually ‘off’ would be better for all of us. Elena could be starting a trend here! And perhaps her father might actually learn something from this. Either way, it makes a great show!
Elena begins the show as herself, and as FUNERAL SHOW unfolds, she slowly, piece by piece, becomes her father. She puts on some pants, a wig, a moustache, a jacket, and with each little addition she morphs into him, or at least her version of him. We are never really told why she feels this way. But given the political climate, it’s easy to imagine the two things might be connected, but it really could be anything. It’s not at all about the ‘why,’ it’s about Elena choosing to live her life in the best way possible. In this case, it is without her father.
Elena Martinez really is mesmerising in FUNERAL SHOW. She has an eery calm about her throughout. Even as she plays various versions of herself at different ages, some relative, and of course, as she becomes her dad, she remains cool and collected. Nothing rash or reactionary occurs. You get the feeling that Elena has a plan and that her plan has been a long time in the making, even though it comes at a huge loss.
FUNERAL SHOW involves the audience…this is Hollywood Fringe after all! She picks out people to play her relatives, people she imagines will be at this funeral and each audience member plays their part beautifully. Most Fringe audiences are a sea of other actors…so they become free labor and are willing participants!
Elena’s FUNERAL SHOW is absolutely heartbreaking. Even though she seems not to feel this way, I can’t believe that it could have been an easy decision. Either to break it off with her dad or to make a Fringe show about it, cardboard coffin and all. But the effect is stunning. How can a simple idea with simple strategies and controlled outcomes become something so icily surreal and at the same time so utterly warm and deeply personal? I think it must come down to Elena herself. It’s one thing to think of an idea and to write something, but an entirely different thing altogether to actually put on a show as daring and provocative as this is. It’s funny, I have seen many shows that have intended to shock or provoke or enrage in some way, but FUNERAL SHOW has wormed its way into my brain and stayed there far more profoundly than anything heavy or political ever has. Perhaps it’s because we are hearing more and more about children disconnecting from parents, and I believe that is true. However, to actually witness that uncoupling happening, without the tears and the drama, in a considered and informed way, is quite stunning.
I applaud Elena not just for her bravery in making such a bold choice, but also for sharing it with us. A brilliantly conceived play, beautifully written and performed. A big bravo!!!
https://www.instagram.com/smelena_fartinez
Tickets:
https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/11710?tab=details
When:
June 8-29
Sunday, June 8 at 6:30PM
Tuesday, June 17 at 9:30PM
Monday, June 23 at 5:00PM
Thursday, June 26 at 8:00PM
Sunday, June 29 at 12:30PM
(promo code SoftClown for $10 tickets)
Where:
The Broadwater Theatre
1078 Lillian Way, Los Angeles, CA 90038
****
Check out more Hollywood Fringe Festival 2025 show reviews>>