My Name is Karen

Show – My Name is Karen

Playwright – Karen Hines

Production Company/Theatre space – One Yellow Rabbit, High Performance Rodeo / Big Secret Theatre, Werklund Centre.

Length – 1 Act (60 minutes)

Genre/s – Comedy

Premise – Karen Hines wrestles with the associations that come from having the same name as the meme of a privileged, middle aged, and often blond woman demanding attention and acting badly in public over some real or imagined slight.

Why this play? Why now? – It’s an interesting study of how a popular culture meme can affect an individual’s life.

Curiosities – Will this be in the 41^st Rodeo?

Notable Moment – The punchline to the greeting from others “Hi, Karen, how are you?”

Notable writing – A WIP (work in progress) by one of Canada’s successful artists as a playwright, director, and comedian. This piece is wry, clever, funny patchwork of ideas and wiki entries. She references Gilgamesh Lazyboy (One Yellow Rabbit collective) and the Letter to Wendys (Joe Wenderoth). Gilgamesh was an epic journey and the Wendy’s play is book of prose/poetry containing short dramatic often surreal letters written on comment cards to the famous hamburger establishment and became a performance art hit. So maybe this work-in-progress will use these as inspiration. While the former was successful, the later wasn’t as filling. I think it will be its own unique funny, charming jewel.

Notable performances – Donning a wig, after stoking it on her lap like a cat, Hines becomes the meme looking like a demented Helen Mirren. Stuffed with self-importance, she berates the audience, calling them liars, threatening to throw her drink. In the hands of an amateur this could be toe curling but as a pro she makes it funny.

Notable design/Production – She borrowed Daniel MacIvor’s set - a chair, side table and music stand.

Notable direction – As a WIP, the reading didn’t have a director.

One reason to see this show – Look for it in the future, you’re in for a good time.