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Tarot Reading: Love, Sex and Mommy

nytheatre.com review by Josephine Cashman
August 15, 2005

Kimberlee Auerbach is having a bad day; her friends and mother think she should get married so her “life has some meaning” and now her married-four-times father has told her it’s time for her boyfriend Eric to step up to the plate and propose. Kimberlee’s not all that sure that Eric’s ready for matrimony, or even if she is, so she runs off to a tarot reader for some advice. Played by Anita Velez-Mitchell, who brings a marvelous sense of mystery and wisdom to her role, the Tarot Reader appears on the DVD screen behind Kimberlee, and through the cards that are drawn, Kimberlee examines her life in a series of funny and poignant vignettes.Starting off with the Fool Card, Kimberlee investigates her childhood, during which she had an intense sibling rivalry with her younger brother Michael and, because of his childhood illnesses, she frequently felt that “it’s the Mikey Show. And I’m the dancing sidekick.” She progresses on through other cards in her Tarot Reader’s deck, each one highlighting various relationships Kimberlee has had. There’s the emotional tale of Kimberlee’s relationship with her mother and all its funny and sad ups and downs (what do you do when your newly single mother is getting more dates than you?). There’s a one-night stand with a painter, with its itchy and hilariously embarrassing trip to the pharmacy. Then there’s her abusive relationship with would-be venture capitalist Ben, which shreds what little self-worth Kimberlee has.The events of 9/11 shake her out of her depression and her inner woman, her “higher self,” asserts herself. Humorously, Kimberlee’s higher self is a big black woman named Malvina who “is strong and confident and takes no shit from anyone.” With Malvina's help, Kimberlee dumps Ben, shakes her life back into order, and begins to connect with healthier and happier people.Well directed by Eric Davis, Tarot Reading: Love, Sex and Mommy tells a rollicking and emotional story of self-realization and growth, and while not all the characters that Auerbach portrays in her (mostly) one-woman show are exactly vivid, her storytelling and sense of humor brings her tale to life. The audience eagerly goes along for the ride for this charming, whimsical, and entertaining show.