Directed by Maria Burton
Produced by Benjamin Scuglia
When is a one-woman show not a one women show?
When it becomes a five-person show within a show… about a one-women show called “One Woman Gone Wrong,” created and performed by the achingly funny Leslie Caverny.
Confused? I know several people in the audience around me were when within the first 10 minutes of curtain the actress, Leslie Caveny, apologizes profusely as she dramatically and catastrophically corpses, brings an actress onstage to feed her lines to her, curses out the lighting designer and accuses one particular audience member of being her mother… repeatedly…and all of this is done with the nerve of one who has nothing left to lose.
Leslie Caveny is an Emmy award winning writer and long-time Theatre West Alumni. She has been a writer for "Everybody Loves Raymond,’" "News Radio" and "The Naked Truth," as well as penning her own feature film "Penelope" starring Christinia Ricci, James McAvoy and Reese Witherspoon.
With such an impressive resume it’s hardly surprising that Ms Caveny is a talented and hilarious writer. What is a little surprising is that she is such a hugely talented and compelling actress.
She takes this story of the broken, lost and blatantly disliked actress on the verge of a nervous breakdown and turns it on its head whilst crossing whatever lines there are still left in the theatre to cross, mixing cast, crew and audience together in a delightfully and reluctantly awkward mess, as well as playing recklessly with reality, farce and audience participation.
Whilst I don’t want to tell you too much about the play for fear of spoiling the fun, I can tell you this… you are never quite certain of what is really falling apart and what is part of the play, and it’s that little shiver of terrifying, nerve-wracking empathy that holds you tightly to Ms Caveny and propels you right along with her into the arms of disaster, hilarity, forgiveness and more than a little humility…
"One Woman Gone Wrong" is just like that dream you have of walking naked into your local supermarket, gym, church or dog park, (take your pick) only it’s not your dream…it’s Ms Caveny’s…which is infinitely more entertaining and much, much less horrifying.
Her supporting cast are sublime and utterly convincing in their roles, and as Ms Caveny slips further and further beyond anyone’s help, including her own, they rally around her in their own specific and lovingly, individually and inept ways, adding one layer after another of the kind of squirmy humor we all love.
This is such an excellent show, and I really can’t recommend it enough…Bravo!!!!
If you the stamina to laugh for a little over an our without stopping, then make your way to Theatre West and plonk your money down for Leslie Caveny’s absolutely brilliant "One Woman Gone Wrong."
“One Woman Gone Wrong” is playing at Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Los Angeles, 90068.
September 10 - November 20, Sundays at 7PM
http://theatrewest.org/onstage/one-woman-gone-wrong/
Follow them on social media with the hashtag #NotASoloShow
Cast
Leslie Caveny • Frank Gangarossa • Anne Leyden • Sheila Shaw • Seemah Wilder
Pianist/arranger: Tom Adams
Production stage manager: Roger Kent Cruz
Lighting design: Yancey Dunham
Photos by Garry Kluger