[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of Getting In Bed with the Pizza Man, written and performed by Katie Folger, and directed by Matrex Kilgore.
Very occasionally, in amongst all the wonderful, inspiring and excellent shows I am lucky enough to regularly see, nestle the truly extraordinary. Katie Folger’Getting In Bed with the Pizza Man is one of those rarities.
This marvel of a one-woman show is Katie’s travelogue of sex through the pandemic. Using that ‘bubble’ for something far more interesting than board games. Dating, sex, falling in love – or trying to and finding her way through the hypocrisy of shame and learning it never really existed, except perhaps in our own heads. Katie has developed this show over the last few years and the El Portal performances marked her West Coast premiere of what has been a hugely successful show where ever it has been performed.
It’s more than a bit risqué, but charmingly so and Katie has the sort of beguiling demeanor that turns everything she says, crude, rude or otherwise into a dream. She is witty, wise and phenomenal at physical comedy, which this show is actually full of, but not the falling down kind.
She uses her body in such a way that is hilarious, sexy and fascinating all at the same time. She seems to be completely uninhibited and as she walks us through love affairs and life she moves around the stage effortlessly. You literally cannot take your eyes off her in fact. The hilarious stories, which seem shockingly real, combined with her beautiful brave performance make for something really incredible. The house was packed and at times you could hear a pin drop so mesmerized was the audience with her…in between the laughter and the cheers.
The point of the show I think is to illuminate the ridiculous nature of yearning. In the play, Katie meets some lovely guy and immediately projects a life together, a future, marriage kids, etc. and it is that projection that she wants and loves. Not the reality of ratty hair, bad breath and probably a girlfriend. This yearning comes not from a nutty mind but from a big heart. She wants to love and in following her want she has a lot of sex…but so what? Looking for love in a bed, whether it’s with a pizza man or a prince is still just looking. Of course, it doesn’t usually end up the way she hopes. But that’s hardly her fault and the quest does make for some great stories and some hilarious sexual reenactments, which are strangely not lewd or bawdy, regardless of her wild positioning. No, they are heartfelt and real and delightful. I found myself, whilst crying with laughter, reliving some of my own personal deeply projected love affairs and feeling a lot better about myself and my own questionable choices back in the day. Slut shaming is such a terrible phrase as well as being an awful thing to do to each other and ourselves isn’t it? This show blows it out of the water, unequivocally.
Katie’s beautifully written and gorgeously performed Getting In Bed with the Pizza Man is as close to a perfect show as I have seen. There’s something so genuinely sweet about Katie Folger. She’s vulnerable, truthful, brashly brilliant and utterly exceptional.
Getting In Bed with the Pizza Mans a fabulous romp through her life with the kind of dirty details usually reserved for the closest of friends after a few drinks. But I was thrilled to be a witness to such genius!! I was hoping she would be at Fringe this year, but she’s on tour with this show so you will just have to hope she returns with it soon because I for one will be buying a ticket and bringing my friends…especially my girlfriends.
As a weird aside, I went to Trader Joe’s immediately after seeing the show…how very L.A. Anyway, I actually told the cashiers all about it and gave them my flyer and told them they had to see it I was so blown away…I’m not sure I have ever done that before! But I hope they went and loved it as much as I did!!!
You can find out more about Katie Folger and Getting In Bed with the Pizza Man on her website: https://www.katiefolger.com/about
There’s a great video about the show!