FRIGID NYC | Review | Ain't That Rich

Kate Robards.

Ain't That Rich is a one-woman show about growing up in a white trash part of Texas. Orange, Texas, to be specific – a pretty small town, and (from the narrative) not one that you'd probably plan on visiting. Playwright Kate Robards performs her own show, which is presented as her real life story.

You might not know this from the advertising, but Ain't That Rich is a comedy. There're some deep themes in here, especially when talking about the impact that staying within an impoverished community have on those who turn to drugs, but what you're going to remember afterwards is laughing. A lot. Robards has a gift for turning ordinary events into comedy and an engaging delivery.

It's become vogue to make fun of the 1%; this play isn't about that per se, but it makes a lot of funny business from exploring the ways that we think about money.

Highly recommended.

FRIGID NYC | Review | Dangerous When Wet: Booze, Sex, and My Mother

There's a difference between interesting introspection and naval gazing. Jamie Brickhouse's memoir Dangerous When Wet: Booze, Sex, and My Mother is definitely the former. You've probably seen the "self-destructive artist" schpiel before, but that journey of personal self-destruction is just so darn compelling. Brickhouse stars as himself, along with his co-stars his mother, sex, and booze (not necessarily in that order). David Drake's direction is tight, and the pacing relentless on this rollercoaster.

Highly recommended.

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