Just Not That Woman
Written and Performed by Ali Scott Kennedy
Directed by Sarah Holden
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Magic is something that many people look to for comfort and entertainment. Its alluring promise takes us out of our comfort zone, to be amazed and astonished. Ali Kennedy Scott hit all those notes in her one-woman production of Just Not That Woman at the Firehall Arts Centre. The performance takes us through the events leading up to, and following, the 2016 United States presidential election. For even the dumbest of people it helped us understand exactly how The Donald could happen, and also why it did.
But this was more than just a teaching lesson for the audience as Ali transformed herself into common everyday Americans to help us see thought and bias from every avenue; truly trying to understand how millions of [Opinion Alert] stupid Americans could pave the way for a troll to be the supreme leader of the new dictatorship in the USA. As homo sapiens, we are natural followers, even when we follow our leaders to war — it’s in our blood. We tend to side with the alpha and that’s where we get in trouble. We do what seems to be the right thing, based on other people’s opinions and not necessarily facts. That is exactly how Scott get’s the consumer to believe this orange mistake for a moccasin became president. She dumbs it down in a way that even a child would understand.
Starting with a magician, Scott’s character transforms throughout the performance and brings us the opinion of many different types of Americans — from former military man, teenage girls and feminists, to Hillary campaign helper and troll. She plays the different parts in the production to show us the difference in mentality between all the characters and attempt to explain how we got to where we are today. The most notable role was that of the campaign helper, as Ali ended up breaking character and playing herself. Her raw emotion describing the events of voting day, left us viewers empathetic and heartbroken as so many of Ali’s words and feelings are relevant to millions of people — voters and observers.
Overall, this talented actress has range and will surely be seen in movies somewhere down the road. If you get a chance to see Just Not That Woman, I suggest you do.
The 2017 Fringe Festival (Sept 7 -17) is underway and LINK has been busy checking out select shows. In the festival creators’ own words, “The Fringe strives to break down traditional boundaries and encourage open dialogue between audiences and artists by presenting live un-juried, uncensored theatre in an accessible and informal environment.” Follow along with us and be sure to check out this year’s festival.
Former professional hockey player. Aspiring satirist and radio personality.
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