FringeNYC 2013: PUSSY
A lesbian couple whose love is on the rocks, their overly curious landlady and one very opinionated cat ... this love triangle is starting to get crowded.
Official production websiteShow details/ticketing at FringeNYC
Review by Julie Congress · August 14, 2013
A nice lady, her argumentative British girlfriend, her hot Russian landlady and, of course, her cat, Pussy. Writer/performer Maura Halloran’s one-woman show Pussy is an entertaining, though somewhat superficial, look at human (and human/feline) relationships.
Soft-spoken Catholic-turned-Unitarian Leslie (the nice lady) is in a predicament. Her self-absorbed girlfriend Jo has left her and gone to Spain (on Leslie’s credit card) after a misunderstanding. Jo, meanwhile, is enjoying a life of pedicures, poolside drinks and finding ways to torment Leslie from afar. Leslie’s landlord Ana, meanwhile, tends to her garden and privately rejoices that “the loud British” from the apartment upstairs is gone. And Pussy lives a life of feline leisure.
The character most fully, and honestly, realized is Pussy. While the humans are more simplistic and somewhat cliché in their depictions, the deliberate yet unassuming whack of a paw (pushing a piece of paper off a table and out the window) and intent look of haughty disdain before attacking an armchair are unequivocally feline. Director Claire Rice and Movement Director Julianne Fawsitt use these cat antic interludes to seamlessly transition between characters – the lazy arching of Pussy’s back fluidly rolls into lying on a beach or a couple’s counseling session for one.
Halloran is an engaging performer, her characters are precisely differentiated and the performance is both polished and professional. Overall, Pussy makes for a refreshing and enjoyable hour of theatrical fun.
Preview: Interviews with Artists from PUSSY
We're asking artists from each show to answer questions about themselves and their work to help our readers get a detailed advance picture of the festival:
The Folks Back Home · Maura Halloran (Actor)
- Where were you born? Where were you raised? Where did you go to school?
I'm Canadian. I was born in Toronto and raised half there and half in Edmonton. I have a BFA in Acting from the University of British Columbia. I wrote the first inception of PUSSY at UBC in a fantastic course by Vancouver actor Tom Scholte using pedagogy from Calgary's "One Yellow Rabbit." - When did you decide to become an actor, and who or what inspired you to make that choice?
As a child I saw a lot of shows at Toronto's Young People's Theatre and was later very inspired by the generative foment of the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival and it's impact on the new works culture there including artists like Wes Borg, Darrin Hagen, Stewart Lemoine, my long-time actor hero Ron Pederson and my long-time general hero Briana Buckmaster. I also had a really motivating highschool drama teacher, Mrs. Christine Klein, who died last year. (She told me if I ever won an Oscar to please mention her in my speech; this is the best I got so far, Chris... Love you.) But it was my mom who took me to all those plays as a youngster - including a special seat for CATS on my 9th birthday where I got to dance with Rum Tum Tugger and sit on his lap. If anyone is to thank / blame for all of this, it's my mom (who is coming to the show on August 10 with my whole family - drinks afterwards at the Fat Black Pussycat around the corner!) - What are the folks back home never going to forget about your performance in this show?
I'd like to say "the genius of my writing" but I'm pretty sure the final "cleaning moment" is the mental souvenir from this show. - Does this show remind you of a particular person or place from your past?
The "tale" of PUSSY was inspired by a dear sweet friend of mine in Vancouver. She is happily married to a lovely lady, now. Because in Canada that is legal nationally - to marry whomever you love - as it should be internationally. - If grandma left you ten million dollars that you had to spend only on theatrical endeavors, how would you use the money?
(That's a silly rule, Gramma, but I'll play along.) My current "change theatre" goal is to invent generative workshops to address the dearth of roles for women over 40. But my true-love dream-project that I've been doodling on notebooks since theatre school is a world tour of my friend David Savoy's adaptation of Diary of Madman starring Aslam Husain as Askenty and me as "that damn little dog" Madgie.
Gettin' Social · Cadillac (Other)
- Where were you born? Where were you raised? Where did you go to school?
I was born in a garage in Watsonville, California. My mama was the greatest cat that ever lived, second to me. My brothers and sisters were a bunch of mewling pussy-cats. There was too many mouths to feed and not enough milk to go around. One day, while I was just minding my own business, a giant picked me up high in the air and a smiling lady stuck her face in mine. The lady carried me to a cardboard box inside a van and drove me to San Francisco. While I was originally quite mad at being catnapped, I grew to tolerate the smiling lady and the giant. They give me treats. I never did go to school, I learned all I know in the mean hallways of San Francisco. - How did you meet your fellow artists/collaborators on this show?
That smiling lady who catnapped me shared my photos with PUSSY creator, Maura Halloran. After seeing my handsomeness, Maura approached me with an offer. - If you had ten million dollars that you had to spend only on theatrical endeavors, how would you use the money?
I would take half the money and self-produce the greatest show never (yet) made: my life. A 24 hour, in-depth look into the amazing things I do. There will be live feedings, litter box usage, and if the audience is lucky, I may even claw a jean leg or two. Broadway is not ready for me. With my other five million, I would create an organization to advance the theatrical careers of cats through advocacy, training, and treats. It will be the alma matter of all the greatest cactors and cactress in the future. - If you're a New Yorker: why is FringeNYC an important part of the summer theater scene?
If you're not a New Yorker: what are you most looking forward to doing and seeing (apart from the festival) while you're here?
I cannot wait to get to NYC! I plan on killing some birds in central park, tackling at least one of the giant rats that live in the subway, and devouring every roach that dares cross my path. There will be a lot of naps, and I am sneaking a large baggie of nip on the plane. - Describe your show in a tweet (140 characters or less).
PUSSY: a solo show about a crumbling lesbian relationship, the curious neighbor, and the pussycat in the center of it all.
Many Faces of Theater · Julianne Fawsitt (Director)
- What type of theater do you like most to work on?
This is a difficult question, as I have enjoyed working on a variety of shows, everything from musical theater to a theatrical gallery experience. I find myself often involved in shows that have strong female directors, creators, and/or writers, like PUSSY, as I enjoy working creatively with other women. Thematically, I like theater that explores social issues in an engaging and creative way, especially when humor is involved. I think that comedy is a great way to create community at a show and can bring a diverse group of people together. I also have a background in community-based theater, and while the technical skills are still being developed, I really enjoy working with people who are just beginning to love live performances. - What is your signature style or aesthetic as a director?
As a young director, I am still finding my signature style and aesthetic. I started focusing on directing because I realized how much more I enjoyed looking at a play in its entirety. I have a background in both dance and theater and am most inspired by Anne Bogart and her writing on Viewpoints. I believe the most beneficial way for a director to work is with an open mind and a collaborative spirit; being a good director is not about following your own idea, but in being inspired with the actors and creating something that feels and looks good to both of you. - Are audiences in New York City different from audiences in other cities/countries where you’ve worked? If so, how?
This is my first time working on a show for a New York City audience, as all the other shows I have worked on were produced in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I do not have much experience with New York City audiences. That being said, I think fundamentally humans are similar all over the world, we just have some regional, culturally, and linguistic differences. This is one of the beautiful things about live performance, the emotions and energy from performers has the potential to eclipse all those differences. - Where would be your ideal working environment: New York in 2013, Shakespeare’s Globe, the theater of Sophocles and Euripides, Stanislavski’s Moscow Art Theater?
I would choose New York in 2013. As a woman director, my other choices would not be very realistic! But that is not the reason why I would choose the present day. I have recently become very interested in theatrical experiences that are not a play in a traditional sense. The intersection of different art forms (music, dance, film), “real life” and scripted moments, guerrilla theater, and performance art have been captivating a lot of my creative thoughts. While I have a deep love and respect for theater and it’s many stages, I am excited about the possibilities for live performance in the future. - Groucho, Chico, Harpo, or Zeppo?
HARPO! Honk, honk.
Theater Beats Movies · Maura Halloran (Writer)
- Why is this a play (as opposed to a TV script, webseries, film, etc.?)
I wanted to be a cat - not just represent a cat but embody the cat - and I wanted to play all sides of a love triangle. There is no way to replicate the morphing transitions I can achieve from cat to human on film. In fact, one of the challenges of promoting this piece is just how to photograph the cat - because, in a still frame, there is no cat; there is just a rather tall lady in yoga pants crawling on the floor. But out loud and alive, the combination of that set of gestures and the generosity of the audience's imagination "makes" a cat - a cat that only exists in the ether of that moment and then she is gone. That is the risk and the beauty of theatre: it really only exists in the audience's imagination. And that's what theatre has on every other medium: with the help of our audience, we can make things that don't exist. - Which cartoon character would most like this show – Bugs Bunny, Marge Simpson, Charlie Brown, or Casper the Friendly Ghost?
At the heart of the PUSSY "tale" is a slick furry bundle of sass and mischief, so I want to say Bugs. But I'm not sure how rabbits and cats mutually feel about each other. Also I'm not sure "PUSSY" and "Bugs" are words we should free-associate... (Sorry if you just did.) - How have you been surprised by the audience response to any of your plays?
Even though I wrote PUSSY as a tribute to the tribulations of my gay friends, I was nervous lesbians might rise up against me for writing a lesbian love story when I don't identify as lesbian. But several times now I've seen a lady grab her girlfriend's hand at a certain moment near the end - that kind of response truly makes my heart sing because that was the point. My biggest surprise, however, has been the enthusiastic response from straight dudes. I assumed they would find it too "chick lit." But I guess there is something there they can groove on. (I will resist the obvious pun here about hetero boys and PUSSY… not that it's beneath me, I was just told to keep this PG.) - Are there filmic elements in this play (e.g., video, projections, montages, quick fades, etc.)?
*Hiss* No! It was briefly suggested once, but I think extra media in this piece would distract from the imaginative moments. - Why should audiences see live theater instead of just watching videos on the internet?
It is a different test of empathy to see an actor cry in a close-up shot and to see their tears fall to the floor in front of you or to hear a collective swell of laughter cause the performer to pause. We live in a culture where increasingly we watch all the same things on devices that isolate us into our own personal headspace. Behind those glistening screens, it is hard to feel what the story has to do with us. If theatre only exists in the audience's imagination, then it has everything to do with you. Everyone in that room is part of that one living breathing moment of performance - and it's not just my moment and your moment, it's our moment. That is not something a video can give you.
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