[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts 2026 Hollywood Fringe Festival review of Mother, a suspenseful and thought-provoking solo show written and performed by Christine Dickenson.
The Hollywood Fringe gives a wonderful and fertile space for the work of emerging artists, veteran performers and everything in between. It’s the perfect place to explore versions of ourselves, face fears, and unlock the awkward and the terrifying. Mother falls into the last two categories.
A daughter who lives across the country from her mother finds herself being ghosted by the very person she never thought could be capable of staying out of her life for more than a day. As a mother to a daughter, I know the constant temptation of calls or texts or even, heaven forbid, showing up unexpectedly. That last one is, of course, too diabolical to consider very often. However, the reverse happens on the regular, especially around meal times.
This particular relationship seems to have suffered from a row and mother is hurt. Clearly a lot, and her stubborn refusal to reach out is what drives this story. To some…men…this might seem like an odd premise for an entire show. But played as it is like a thriller, I can tell you that the anticipation and extraordinary restraint by the daughter at times was extremely entertaining.
As she shares her days, her nights and her working habits with us, the tension slowly builds, the habits start to fall apart, and her restrained anger turns to sadness. And in the end, some despair. Although, to be honest, I felt as if there should have been more panic. More worry, more terror at the many, many reasons why mother never called. But in retrospect I think that our confusion was part of the point of this very well-written and beautifully performed play.
Perhaps these two people often disagree to the point of silence. Taking the only route possible in a long-distance relationship, the veil of invisibility. I’ve done this myself, when my own daughter has gone too far or said too much. And honestly, it does work. But this play seemed too deep to be just about a normal row. There were layers of behavior, strange noises, pounding on the door, mysterious packages addressed to someone else. All this builds the tension higher and higher. All this extraneous interference translating into anxiety, loneliness and self loathing.
Mother is a thoughtful, cerebral unraveling of a play. Full of shadows and twists and quiet turns.
Nothing obvious or clear really happens; a lot of unanswered phone calls and calm messages left, while the apartment around her deteriorates and her habits collapse. But again, it’s all so controlled that it’s easy to imagine that this is a routine they have, torturing each other like this. So when it ends as if nothing at all had transpired, it feels as perfect as the rest of the play.
Christine Dickenson’s performance as this passive-aggressive, lonely woman working herself raw to keep her independence is expert and tightly wound. Her mood felt truthful throughout and it was absolutely fascinating to watch her gently unravel. Bravo!!