Papi holds Pretty Big (Pretty-n-Papi featuring Leah James Abel & Olivia Hallie Lehrman (Photo by Dana Reichma)

In Pretty-n-Papi (written by Leah James Abel, Cody Schreger, and Olivia Lehrman) Ms. Pretty Smart is pretty ready for her pretty man to walk into her life, but things aren’t looking that bright for this girl in the love department so she decides to start online dating, why not! Haunted by a radio commercial of “Princess Charmony,” she surfs the web on her ginormous macbook and creates a profile, username: PrettySmart. Princess Charmony (played dare I say charmingly by Rebecca Houlihan) hooks up our poor Ms. Smart with loser after loser in search for the man of her dreams, someone she can grow old with and eat pickles dunked in Fluff.  Maybe she needs to rethink her ideals? No worries, there are enough fish out in the sea; or I should say in the audience as her dates are forcibly and uncomfortably picked from theatregoers who are just looking to watch a show.

It seems the days of just connecting from your seat, making sure you turn off your cell-phone and keeping quiet are over. The “now” thing (or should I say “retro” thing) is to be part of the action. The fourth wall is smashed into a million bits to the extent that one of the actresses shoves carrots into an audience members mouth. Once the audience is interrogated by Ms. Pretty (played with spunk by Olivia Hallie Lehrman), she reenacts what her life would be like if she ended up with one of these bad connections.

All three actresses are very skilled at showcasing their comedic and physical talents but the show ends up being messy. The actresses do their best at not tripping over used props on the floor and at transitioning smoothly from one scene to the next, yet without much success. Sadly the underdeveloped material and staging of Pretty-n-Papi is not up to par with the superior cast.

Although Pretty-n-Papi was not my cup of tea, I’m sure Princess Charmony will keep trying to match them with their ideal audience.

~~~

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 runs February 23-March 6 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1sr Ave and Ave A). Tickets ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows will run 60 minutes long or less.

Related Posts:

• FRIGID New York Festival 2011 – Five Questions For: Pretty-n-Papi
• Inside Straight: The Twisty Path Of Personal Investigation In A Modern Age (FRIGID New York 2011)
• I Love You (We’re F*#ked) (FRIGID New York 2011)
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Welcome back to another installment of FRIGID New York Festival 2011 Q&A!  We’ll be running these throughout February, so be sure to check back to read all about the great shows that will be taking part in the festival.  Also – don’t miss the winner-take-all game of Rock Paper Scissors! Today’s Q&A is with Olivia Lehrman, performer in  Pretty-n-Papi.

The very last reality show to be made.  Are Pretty-n-Papi the first ‘reality’ lesbian couple? The 1st immigrant couple? Poster children for love after sixty? Let this zany trio of women take you on an energetic and absurd ride to the future of reality television.

answers by Olivia Lehrman – performer

Antonio Asks: What makes FRIGID such a warm and welcoming experience for your production?
They love (and are) artists. There is this feeling that we are all in it together, and we’re all crazy enough to continue doing what we do, and this is a place to celebrate that.

Diánna Asks: What about this play do you feel most drawn to personally, and because of that, what message do you hope the audience walks away with?
The most personal part of our show is recognizing what absurd stories we tell ourselves when we feel fear or self-doubt, and how our imaginations can get the best of us.

Karen Asks: That’s some title.  How did you come up with it – and what does it mean?
Well, Pretty is just the natural computer generated profile name for our protagonist when she goes online dating. She’s that pretty. And Papi? Well, he MIGHT be a figment of her imagination. Or maybe of yours?

Stephen Asks: You must have a favorite part of your show.  What makes it your favorite?
The musical number in the climax of the show, “Talk about our feelings.” I don’t know how Rebecca came up with it, and I am just glad to be working with someone whose brain works like that! Every time we do that scene, it is a struggle for me to pretend not to like it, as she tries to convince me to join her a fabulous lesbian relationship.

Lina Asks: How much of your show was inspired by true events?
Let’s say it is an extrapolation of each of our quirks and likes and dislikes. We just got together in our living rooms and played until it looked like it does now!

THM Bonus Question: If you could play a virtual game of Rock, Paper, Scissors with another FRIGID Show which show would you take on?  And what would you throw?
That just seems mean! I am too competitive to bring my wrath on any of these fine Frigid folks. And then what would that say about me, if I picked a show that didn’t pick me, and then that show wouldn’t want to play, and there I’d be, back in a corner alone, playing with myself …

Thanks  Pretty-n-Papi – for participating in The Happiest Medium’s FRIGID New York Festival 2011 Q&A.  And for playing our game!  You’re officially sitting in the corner, playing with yourself.   This is how it works in the crazy world of the VIRTUAL ROCK PAPER SCISSORS TOURNAMENT!

Meanwhile, for the rest of you – don’t forget to check out Pretty-n-Papi!

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 will run February 23-March 6 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1sr Ave and Ave A). Tickets ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows will run 60 minutes long or less.

Related Posts:

• Pretty-n-Papi, The Pickle To My Fluff? (FRIGID New York 2011)
• Dandy Darkly’s Trigger Happy!: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2016 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• The Extraordinary Fall of the Four-Legged Woman: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2016 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• CHALK: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2016 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• All is Fine in Sunny Florida: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2016 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)