THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
This show is Nicole Travolta's chaotic tale of wading through the mire of family disintegration, an ill-advised young marriage and a shopping addiction, to become a grownup with an excellent sense of perspective. Throughout this tale of woe to pro (in spray tanning), she is trying to make it in show biz. Is she there yet? She's appeared in Anger Management, Two and a Half Men and The Middle and I hope she continues because I would love to see more of her in the future.
In truth, I left this show with two thought bubbles over my head. One said, "Wow, that woman has some serious charisma," and the other said, "Thank [expletive] I never wanted to be an actor." Every year, the Fringe reminds me that actors are dreamers, willing to sacrifice financial and emotional security to follow their calling. This show reinforced my awe and horror.
The best bits of this particular show are when Nicole is speaking as her current self, reflecting on the past and her impressions of some weird and wonderful spray tanning clients in Hollywood. I loved her impersonations of a gentle Jennifer Coolidge, the crazy smoking client, and the guy with the gas mask. I also liked how she interacted with the audience; I felt like she was looking at and talking to me. It seemed to me that the audience was engaged, impressed, and entertained.
Nicole is a strong performer with presence and comic timing. She reminds me of Kaley Cuocco, a comic actor with a je ne sais quoi quality that makes her appealing to almost everyone. Even in the most jarring moments, with props and screens interrupting the flow of her monologue, Nicole keeps your mind from wandering. That said, there are a few things I think she could do to tighten the show. One is to fiddle around with props less. Another is to reduce the Carrie Bradshaw bit since it doesn't connect well to her Hollywood-by-way-of-Orlando life. There's also something not quite right about the integration of the television advertisements. I would probably remove the sound from the ads. But that's all a matter of opinion, so take it or leave it!
I think most of us would presume that someone with such a famous last name (she's John niece) would be an entitled brat, a poor little rich girl, or a wunderkind. There's no option between these extremes. This is all of course based on the assumption that the name comes with privilege, talent, and access. Maybe it does, but Nicole Travolta comes across like a regular person. The beauty of this performance is that I left feeling like I understood her and liked her. Because the performance wasn't perfectly polished, it made Nicole seem approachable and human.
In sum, this is a Fringe show worth seeing and Nicole is a performer worth watching.
