EDINBURGH 2023: Review: HOLLYWOODN'T, Gilded Balloon Teviot

Casting couches are not getting Lisa Verlo cast in anything. After she moved from the Midwest to Los Angeles in the 80s and found it a shambolic experience, Verlo now tells her story. From the lack of any female directors to men who use and abuse their positions, Hollywoodn’t describes the cesspit of the film industry. As she recounts how her big dreams of fame and glam were stifled by those in power, she breaks into songs that animate an otherwise stale narration. It becomes another cautionary tale born from the #MeToo movement, but it’s only a tired account of sexual violence.

The quality of the show doesn’t invalidate her trauma, which is actually quite shocking, but there are a number of missteps that undervalue its execution. In primis, the narrative is supposed to be aided by Marilyn Monroe and Katharine Hepburn. She conjures them by making silly voices that are meant to resemble theirs. It’s not a positive effect. It’s a distracting and altogether poor gimmick. The numbers, while a tad strident at times, feature catchy lyrics by her and music by her husband Frank Simes.

Directed by Elizabeth Kaye Sortun, while it offers a look at the complexities of toxic dynamics, coercion, consent, and control, it doesn’t truly achieve its goal. Verlo’s past is colourful and intriguing, but this isn’t the production that makes it shine. It lacks the aplomb that inspires reflection and change, settling on underwhelming attempts at cheap laughs.

Hollywoodn't runs at Gilded Balloon Teviot until 27 August.

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