Biography and personal mythology come together in "Missing: the fantastical and true story of my father's disappearance and what I found when I looked for him," a solo show by Jessica Ferris of Oakland, Calif.
Ferris tells us that she has only the faintest visual memories of her father, a con man who disappeared when she was very young. She is only able to find out about him by interviewing her relatives 28 years after he leaves, bit they are guarded with their information and we only get the merest sketch of the man and only theories about why he left and where he went. Interspersed with her narrative and portrayals of her grandmother and mother are bits of slapstick and puppetry (with a metal toolbox, very creative), many of which concern a youthful desire to find a portal to escape from the real world. That yearning leads into one of the best moments in "Missing" in which Ferris squeezes herself throught a portal she discovers in a folding metal chair.
The storytelling is a bit incomplete, the ending sudden and puzzling, but what shines through is the author's sense of longing and yearning for some truth. Farris has a charming and engaging style of delivery, enough that I wanted a little bit more, and perhaps a little less of the diversions. The chair bit was pretty funny, though.
Bottom Line: As we were leaving the venue, it crossed my mind that the solo performances seem to be some of the strongest shows of the Fringe. Then we went to see "The Beasts".
Comments