BWW Reviews: Bailey Mason Presents a Return Engagement of her Critically-Acclaimed Solo Show HOOKED

Bailey Mason presents a return engagement of her critically-acclaimed solo show HOOKED, opening Sunday, April 27 and continuing on Sundays at 7:00pm through June 29, 2014 at Spiritworks Center in Burbank, directed by Mark W. Travis. HOOKED recounts Bailey's journey from hooker to healer, a true story of love and transformation.

In her show, Bailey tells about her time being a performer in stand-up comedy, something she was "hooked" to do. Even though she attempted to provide laughs while in the comedy clubs, her actual life was anything but funny. During this time, she was robbed, attacked, and endured the death of her mother from natural causes and her husband, not natural causes! She also found other work, even though that work wasn't necessarily ethical or legal. HOOKED recounts Bailey Mason's very personal transformation via her journey from hooker to healer, from outcall to answering the call and being of real service and an inspiration to others.

Whether we like it or not, our lives are about transformation. Bailey Mason was a hooker, a prostitute, a lady of the night, a sleaze bag. Turning tricks for money? What? Who? Me? So how do you deal with all the negative thrown your way and turn it into something positive and life-affirming? HOOKED is about the transformative power of love which cannot be truly realized without having seen the darker side first.

Bailey shares the true story of how her life evolved into something much more positive and spiritual as a result of finding love in a most unexpected way after living in the dark for so long. Seedy? Scary? A roller coaster ride through hell? Of course it was - and guilt ridden to be sure. But it was a rite of passage Bailey had to go through to transform herself into the person she shares with you during her autobiographical solo show. Her story needs to be told to encourage others to turn their lives around and become the person they were always meant to be, no matter what challenges appear to be in your way, and know that love will find you no matter how hard you try to hide from it.

Performances take place on Sunday nights at 7:00pm, April 27 through June 29, 2014, at Spiritworks Center located at 260 N. Pass Avenue in Burbank, CA 91505. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased online at www.hookedagain.net or at the box office one hour prior to any performance. A limited number of half price tickets are available on Goldstar. For more information or to make industry reservations, please call (818) 623-7408. This show contains adult language and content. It is not recommended for children age 15 or younger.

BAILEY MASON has received high acclaim for her standup shows from Los Angeles to Alaska and has done compelling work in previous solo shows, "Can't Get Enough" and "Comfort Zone." She has been seen in commercials, TV, and film, and has appeared in some over-the-top music videos. Known for playing oddballs, she says her theme has always been "crazy is the new normal."

Bailey attended Boston University where she divided her time between school and downhill ski racing on the eastern circuit. Currently, she is a Spiritual Mind Practitioner at Spiritworks Center for Spiritual Living in Burbank. Her greatest thrill is performing in her solo show, HOOKED, a true love story of how her life evolved into something much more positive and spiritual as a result of finding love in a most unexpected way after living in the dark for so long as an outcall hooker. HOOKED is the captivating journey of a woman filled with anxiety, all the while hoping that the adrenal rush from performing standup comedy will sublimate her fears. She narrowly escapes death on a comedy gig in Tucson, and comes home from another show to find her husband dead. Trying to please the new person that shows up in her life, Bailey embarks on a spiritual path which rings untrue until a life-altering event occurs. HOOKED is a richly passionate show which will take you on a roller coaster ride which you can't and don't wish to stop!

After two successful runs in NoHo, it is Bailey's great pleasure to bring HOOKED to Burbank before it hits the Big Apple.

DIRECTOR MARK W. TRAVIS is known internationally for the solo shows he has developed and directed over the past 15 years. Notably: Time Flies When You're Alive, A Bronx Tale, No Place Like Home, Undressing New Jersey, Insomnia, Something In His Genes, The Dangerous Lure of High Heels, Cabin Fever, What Does The Sun Sound Like?, They Call Me Mr. Fry, Hip Bones and Cool Whip, Almost Made, Walking Back to Brooklyn, Fornicationally Challenged and Pay Attention. Mark has been credited in the Los Angeles Times with having created a "new theater genre."

Mark offers a series of Write Your Life Weekend workshops for all writers, actors, directors and storytellers who want to explore the tools and techniques of autobiographical storytelling.

His first book on film directing, The Director's Journey became an instant best-seller (Los Angeles Times) and was followed by Directing Feature Films which is currently required reading in hundreds of film schools worldwide. His third book, The Film Director's Bag of Tricks was published in September 2011.

Since 1992 Mark has been sharing his techniques on writing, acting and directing across the country and worldwide, including: Australia, Malaysia, Japan, Brazil, Germany, Poland, United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, Ukraine, and Russia. For more information on Mark, eamil or visit mark@markwtravis.com and www.markwtravis.com.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE EVOLUTION OF HOOKED

HOOKED is a new solo show from actress Bailey Mason that offers a rare opportunity to see the naked truth about issues that we can all relate to but keep hidden in the darkest part of our psyche. Let your demons dance for an hour while you laugh at the triumphs and cry at the tragedies that befall all of us. Bailey gives expression to those experiences and feelings that we are too afraid to express ourselves.

For Bailey, developing HOOKED turned into a real journey because of the very nature of the material. Working with her mentor, Mark Travis, Bailey embarked on a trip into the past that she wasn't prepared for but needed to face. And through it all, Bailey found a way to get revenge for something that happened in her childhood and to support her acting career.

Bailey was a hooker. A prostitute. A lady of the night. A sleaze bag. To Bailey, it feels like another life; a road she cannot imagine she ever went down. "The shame, the fear, and the gratitude that I'm alive has hit me over the head time and time again. Being locked in the trunk of a car by an angry john is something not too many girls have experienced, I hope. Turning tricks for money? What? Me? Well I wasn't going to do that for free. Not after having been attacked by the principal of my junior high school."

"Seedy? Scary? A roller coaster? Yes, and guilt ridden, but it was the rite of passage I had to go through. I am able to see the bigger picture now that my life has evolved into something much more spiritual as a result of living in the dark for so long. And it brings me great joy to know I have helped so many with my story."

People see Bailey, hear her story, and then realize what an inspiration she is as she shows them they can do so much more in their lives than they ever expected. HOOKED has a lot to do with love, which cannot be truly realized without having seen the dark side first.

Mark W. Travis assisted Bailey in the development of HOOKED, as well as providing the stage direction. Bailey adds, "I want to thank Mark Travis for so wonderfully and patiently guiding me on this trip."

In her show, Bailey tells about her times of being a performer in stand-up comedy, something she was "hooked" to do. Even though she attempted to provide laughs while in the comedy clubs, her actual life was anything but funny. During this time, she was robbed, attacked (though not harmed physically), and endured the death of her mother (natural causes) and her husband (not natural causes!). She also found other work, even though that work wasn't necessarily ethical or legal!

Eventually Bailey found a partner to share her life, the one element she was seeking to affect change to take her on the right path. But who would have guessed that person was another woman? With her guidance, Bailey became a Practitioner in the Church of Religious Science. (This doctrine is not to be confused with Scientology.)

HOOKED blends wacky yet real comedy with episodes of somber events from Bailey's life. She is a strong person who has experienced more than she would have wanted, but came out better for it in the end. You may find, as does Bailey, that some elements in the show are deeply disturbing, but no one ever said the journey to transformation was an easy path to take. Of course, there are a few amusing lines spoken, but what makes this show appealing is her endeavor to display her life without feeling sorry for herself and asking the audience to react in the same manner.

Photos by Shari Barrett

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