BWW Reviews: Stephanie Svec's I TRIED TO BE NORMAL ONCE, IT DIDN'T TAKE at Capital Fringe is Exceedingly Engaging

The pursuit of a dream, a love for the theatre and creativity in general, dealing with expectations - those we place on ourselves and those we think others place on us - love, relationships, figuring out who we want to be, and figuring out what success is and what it should 'look like.' Local actress/writer/comedian/director Stephanie Svec deals with all of these relatable things in her one woman 'sharing' piece I Tried to Be Normal Once, It Didn't Take. Joshua Morgan's direction allows her to focus her narrative and presentation, but also gives her the freedom to engage with the audience as if they were simply having a conversation. The balance is quite nice and other solo performers who seek to create and share personal stories such as this one might take note.

For Svec's part, I appreciate that she doesn't seem to be trying too hard for laughs (and there are many of them, particularly a story about meeting her now ex-husband and another one about spending the summer in New York City for the first time) or sympathy. There have been a few Fringe shows I've seen in the past which are as personal as this one yet give off a flavor of an awkward therapy session rather than a rehearsed but natural theatrical piece with a point. Svec avoids all of those tendencies and ultimately wins me over with her charm, humanity, and professionalism. In her thoughtful and engaging 'conversation' she ponders, in part, what success is. One definition? This piece.

Running Time: 35 minutes.

I Tried to Be Normal Once, It Didn't Take has three more performances in this year's Capital Fringe Festival. For tickets and further show information, see the festival website.

Graphic: Courtesy of the Production.