Fringe Festival Review: Astrologically Screwed

There is nothing quite like the palpable energy flowing through such an intimate stage as the Hudson Backstage Theater. The soft din of friends, peers, and theatre-lovers alike coursed through the space before our singular player made her way to the stage, her energy filling up every hidden corner of the room. Pam Levin, a veteran solo-performance artist, the  “psychic magnet” herself, melts your heart with her buoyancy and chutzpah, while she relays some of the most heart-warming and heart-wrenching moments from her life. You may even leave a changed person, someone who believes just a little bit more. 

Commanding a stage is difficult enough to do when you have an ensemble to help bounce off of. The feat of this one-woman show is just that: she is one woman. Except, you would hardly know it the way she slips so comfortably into all the different voices of her friends and loved ones. It is truly incredible to watch her inhabit these people, most notably her husky voice for her husband, Brett or the sweet three-year-old version of her daughter, Bella. Each character comes to life with the simple change of a coat, a subtle hand gesture, Levin embodies so many different people and nails every one of them. Often giggling right along with us, it felt just as playful as expected from…well, a play.

Excellent direction on behalf of Chera Marks, it was a snappy run and great use of the space. Keeping the set simple with black blocks, table, and projection ensured a smooth run for quick transitions as well as a simple playground for Levin to strut her stuff. 

A crowd can make all the difference. Levin and Marks create a space where the crowd feels like one of the family. People felt encouraged to laugh and cheer and groan and sniffle and theatre is meant to bring that sort of cathartic release with it. It is supposed to unite people through the art of story-telling and movement. Levin’s strength in, not only in her personal life, but also the strength to share her testimony with the world is exactly what she was meant to be doing. She got noticed, she made it happen, just like the promise to her dear friend. Now, she is paying it forward–by the end of the show, Levin had injected an energy so positive and engaging and followed it up by promoting the rest of the Fringe Festival. Is there nothing more beautiful than artists supporting and promoting artists? 

The magic of theatre like this is that it can bring you back from a dark and tarnished world. Much like Levin’s life, there is beauty and goodness to be found in the darker and more uncertain times. Maybe it was always meant to happen the way that it does. Maybe there are forces in life that guide us to our true happiness. Maybe it has always been written in the stars. Never stop championing this lively community for believers and artists. 

There is one more chance to find out: Saturday, June 29 at 4 pm at Hudson Backstage Theater. A valet parking lot is available for $10. Public parking is available down Santa Monica Blvd. Tickets are $20.