Off The Leesh Productions, Inc. - Details -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 10/18/2007
Last Visited: 9/20/2009
This spring, On the Leesh Productions is producing a feature film version of Julie Tortorici's one-woman show, Belly.
As part of our fundraising efforts, Julie is performing the stage version for one night only!
...
Writer/performer Julie Tortorici regales the audience with Frannie's eccentric but endearing anecdotes, exploring the question of how an everyday woman could have arrived at such an atypical life.
From wry insights into her phobias to poignant glimpses into her girlhood memories, the stories demonstrate the depth of Frannie's rich inner world.
Though Frannie lives in fear, Tortorici plays her with an appealing combination of qualities.
At one moment, she is the nurturing mom who wants nothing more than to see her family at ease and well fed.
"Mmmm...Hostess cupcakes," she purrs-before sharing.
The next moment, she's a wide-eyed young woman who doesn't realize how engaging her delight in small pleasures (like cable television) truly is.
In fact, Tortorici performs a sort of acting alchemy, lending charm and dignity to the story of a seemingly unremarkable woman to create a multidimensional character who out-sparkles the appliances we imagine she was cleaning and recleaning just before we arrived.
The simple set, only the barest suggestion of a living room interior, in no way hinders Tortorici's ability to make the place feel like a home.
In fact, she develops a rapport with her guests so genuine that the audience feels connected not only to Frannie but to one another as well-one of the very reasons we go to the theater.
...
"Upon watching Julie Tortorici's "Belly" one is suddenly struck by just how seldom a real connection is made between the audience and the performers of most one-person shows.
Rarely does one feel that it is you who is actually spoken to, or that it is anything more than a theatrical device.
That's what makes "Belly" such a rare gem.
Tortorici not only really speaks to the audience, but really listens as well, and she does it with astonishing simplicity and grace.
Tortorici, who both wrote and stars in this wonderful piece, has created a character who is neither particularly intelligent nor should be particularly interesting.
Frannie's life story is not remarkable, and while she is recovering from a heartbreaking tragedy, that tragedy is not unique or even all that rare.
On the surface there is really no reason to take much interest in her at all.
But by establishing a true and reciprocal connection with her listeners, Tortorici is able to make you empathize with Frannie on a level that catches you by surprise.
You find yourself understanding what makes this ordinary woman quirky, fun, and special.
And unlike most one-person shows, this is no retrospective on how she got to where she is, forever to remain that way once the lights go down.
Instead, this is a person whose journey is not done, and we are asked to help in her attempt at a spiritual rebirth.
By the end of the show we are praying that she succeeds because the world would be a better place with her in it.
That you end up laughing with Frannie's joy and empathizing with her sorrow is not for me what make "Belly" so special.
What is so exceptional is that by being invited into the piece so directly, a connection is formed not just between audience and performer, but also between every person in the room.
"Belly" not only leaves you pondering your humanity and compassion, but actually challenges you to elevate them both, in the room and in the moment, thereby creating a theatrical event shared by all.
That Tortorici and director J. Brandon Thompson achieve so much more than most others with seemingly so little is due to their talent, integrity, and courage.
16 online sources [ view sources ]
Profile is not claimed [ claim profile ]
