Crack Whore, Bulimic, Girl-Next-Door

Such powerful storytelling touching on so many of the complicated, personal and painful aspects of “growing up” to be a woman. Told with extraordinary honesty! This story touched so many “nerves” for me. I was simultaneously uncomfortable and comforted with each “chapter” of the show. It was like someone read my diary…or my best friend’s…or my sisters! And I was stunned by the brave performances of these 3 women. Kudos to Jennifer and Marnie for creating something incredibly special.

I love this show. The cast delivers a completely cohesive and of-the-same-world ensemble performance. Each character is perfectly cast and brilliantly developed by these effortless performers, all of whom are equally skilled at both subtle drama and physical comedy. I believed every word and gesture expressed by these artists during heightened moments and quiet pauses alike. I especially liked how the performers’ choreography and body language brilliantly captured the various ages and urges of their characters. Jennifer Novak Chun’s clever use of the stage to create differences in space and time of the various scenes was both effortless and balanced. The highlight of the show for me was the way in which writer Marnie Olson’s intricately developed coming of age tale vacillated between hilarity and heartbreak, often in one fell swoop. The entire production, like each and every character on stage, is a true diamond in the rough in the Los Angeles theater scene. I cannot recommend the show enough. I went in expecting high jinks and edgy jokes; I came out feeling born again. Cheers to all the crack whores and bulimics who have the courage to witness your pain and save your soul.

An honest and relatable feminine journey creativity told through three characters representing one woman. The scene where the women try on all the different clothes and then decide not to go to the event was so relatable it made me emotional. The script was honest and real. The characters weaving in and out created this beautiful tapestry of a complete and real woman.

Wonderful and powerful! A very relevant piece of theatre that I wish I would have seen when I was a teenager. It would have helped me and probably even saved some. This play deals with body image issues in a world where we are never enough the way we are. Three actors play the same person and I love that. It was so greatly done and performed.

An interestingly executed, smartly written, dark and painfully funny look into societal pressures, body judgement and their effects on young girls and women.
I really liked this show. It was timely and as a woman I can completely understand where the character is coming from. I loved how the main character was represented by three women, or rather three different voices of her psyche. Each gave us a brilliant view into the thoughts in her head. As women we are always being judged by society but often we are our worst judge, this was the perfect way to showcase those emotions. I also loved the inclusion of the one male character and felt he helped round out the cast and move the story along well. I thought this was an interesting, well balanced funny, sometimes hard, yet real commentary on societal pressures.

Critiques aside, I found it to be a powerful and entertaining show that has the potential to touch and educate many, using humor to offer a window into an experience that is too often shrouded in shame and secrecy.

What I liked

How she broke her characters down to Girl Next Door, Crack Whore and Bullimic. Each came with a different set of insecurities and issues. I loved when they all spoke at the same time in unison. So powerful and psychologically sound.
Oh and that 80’s soundtrack is the bomb!!! Girls Just Want To Have Fun!!! My jam!!!

What I didn't like

Nothing. It all worked.

My overall impression

Such a riot and harrowing story about a bullimic girl that will make you feel squeamish, laugh out loud and want to just give her a hug and tell her how beautiful she is without having to put her on a scale. What a powerful play. A must see for teenagers who are probably going through the same nightmare right now!

Playwright Marnie Olson’s unflinchingly honest approach in her dramatization of emotional and physical traumas throughout her life yields an understanding of our shared humanity, resulting in a celebration of triumph over adversity and a clear-eyed theatrical snapshot of what it means to be human in all its messy complexity. Jennifer Chun’s well-paced direction keeps the show moving briskly while deftly balancing the comedic/dramatic strains of the multi-faceted script. The four-actor ensemble reveal terrific range in each of their unique, emotionally demanding story arcs. This play is a beautifully written exploration of emotional issues surrounding identity and self-acceptance; in short, it’s a play for all of us, whether male or female, old or young.

I was so moved by CWBGND. Beautifully performed by its actors! I laughed and cried and felt inspired by the writer Marnie Olson's words. Wonderful direction by Jennifer Novak Chun! CWBGND should not be missed!

To be honest, I arrived a little late, so I missed the first 10 minutes. As a result it took me a little while to get into the swing of things and for a while I wasn't sure what the prevailing tone of the show was intended to be. It started off being played as quite broad comedy and then slowly morphed into something else. Which isn't a bad thing, it's nice to be eased into serious topics of discussion but I felt like I wanted a bit more depth in a lot of the scenes which sometimes seemed way too short (but then I'm a writer who has a tendency to be verbose, so I'm happy to admit that it may just be a stylistic preference).

I thought the cast was good, though occasionally I felt that they played to the audience a bit too much which meant that they weren't playing the scenes with each other as much as I would have liked. I absolutely loved the device of splitting the central character into three people but I sometimes felt they weren't consistent in their points of view - I would have preferred them to have more clearly defined voices rather than being so easily interchangeable (by which I mean, I would have preferred them to have specific agendas they were each sticking too but often they said lines, split between three actresses for equanimity rather than divided according to their specific attitude to a subject or person).

Clearly the women in the audience related very strongly to a story/theme that many have experienced and it's always great when an audience feels that it's being represented on stage. As a man I could still relate to aspects of the story that encompassed bullying, belonging/a desire to be accepted/fit in. I was moved by the relationship issues towards the end of the play and that was, for me, the strongest part of the play, particularly as it offered me some insight as to why someone who has someone who loves them, might sabotage that love. That was very moving.

I wish that the stage hadn't felt quite so cluttered - my preference would have been to create more space centre stage by placing the screens asymmetrically - one upstage right or left and the other, downstage right or left, and maybe lost the seesaw which was an interesting touch but not essential to the plot and used up a lot of the playing space - that being said, they used it a lot, and it's a great image for the balancing act that I know so many people trying to lose weight seem to feel - the seesaw of losing and gaining weight.

I did enjoy the show but I left feeling unsatisfied and I'm still not sure why - most probably because I really wanted greater depth of insight that would have come from each facet of the three versions of the character being clearer about how they each experience the world. I look forward to discussing this more with the production team in person, if they want to!

The bulk of the audience loved the show and I'm aware I'm being guilty of the tendency to think "how would I have directed this" as I was watching, which can get in the way of simply enjoying a show.

Wildly funny, yet touching at the time! Given the title of the play I thought I might be the wrong demograhic for this play. But I was moved often by this play, while laughing along with it's bawdy humor.

Crack Whore, Bulimic, Girl Next Door does have room to grow, but that is the point of Fringe: to see what develops when a show is on its feet and how we can make it stronger. Critiques aside, I found it to be a powerful and entertaining show that has the potential to touch and educate many, using humor to offer a window into an experience that is too often shrouded in shame and secrecy.

Thoroughly enthralling. So relatable. Loved the honesty, energy, the music...and it shared a story that is so deep and so real for so many women. Plus it did it in a very entertaining way. Loved the actors too.

With a title like Crack Whore Bulimic, Girl Next Door I didn’t know what to expect. I thought it would be an evening of silliness and cheap jokes. However this show is far more. The scrip is smart. The direction is clean and the performers are committed. It was a woman’s journey but I went along for the ride and was ultimately touched, moved and inspired. A solid show with a punch.

Don’t let the title put you off, CRACK WHORE, BULIMIC, GIRL-NEXT-DOOR is painfully funny, fueled by anger, but held together by compassion. The writing, directing and acting are so direct and honest, they feel revelatory. Don’t miss it.

A truly honest, raw, beautiful, funny, and heartbreaking story of a woman’s life as told by 3 incredibly talented and brave ladies, playing the same role, and one brilliantly funny and man playing all the men in her life. Bravo Crack- Whore, Bulimic, Girl- Next-Door! Thank you for a beautiful night of theatre. Do not miss this! It’ll stay with you!

Gloria Galvan, Lisa Blake Mitchell, and Michelle Danyn’s chemistry is wonderful as they shine and deliver incredibly funny moments detailing hilarious experiences growing up in playwright Marnie Olson’s life while also turning in some gut wrenching and painful ones during lower points in her life. Director Jennifer Chun astutely weaves the night to keep the show moving while perfectly unfolding the ups and downs of Marnie Olson’s poetic, honest, and beautifully written script. The set, projections, and props were simple yet effective in supporting the story.

"Crack Whore" begins lightheartedly enough, evoking vaudeville and burlesque. But soon, clouds appear and it becomes a cri de coeur, crying justice in a voice first raised in "The Trojan Women," assaulting our comfort with a fierceness that would make Artaud or Brecht proud. This is theatre as the ancients of all races intended it -- strong soul medicine. I don't know a woman (or an LGBTQIA+ person) whom I would not warn about the play's countless triggers. And I don't know a man I would let off the hook. See it.