SKIRT SOLOS
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The theater companies that perform at Cafe Voltaire have little money. They could never afford a set like the one for Goodman’s Two Trains Running, which has real glass windows and working lights. Most of the plays I’ve seen at Cafe Voltaire are stripped down to the essentials: actors, a script, and maybe a chair or two. A person and some words. That’s all that’s necessary to make an audience forget they’re in a dingy basement and believe what’s put before them.
That, and a good story. Which is why “Skirt Solos” is so entertaining. It’s composed of two one-woman one-acts: Tales From the Hut, performed by Julie Cohen, and Personality, performed by Elizabeth Swan. Each one tells a great story about an American Jewish woman’s coming of age. Each one contains a fresh perspective and some interesting insights into contemporary culture. And each one captures our imagination with nothing more than an actor, some words, and a couple of small props.
