A fearless one woman show about a young NZ war bride who finds herself displaced in Cincinnati, Ohio post WWII. A superbly crafted portrait that leaps into flickering wartime romances with ocean-swept American Marines, swing time dance halls and sons lost to foreign fields. GLORIA will take you from the domestic to the fantastical in the blink of an eye, with a little Film Noir thrown in there for a sprinkle of sass. This timely performance also celebrates women’s empowerment and the feminist resurgence. GLORIA is the story of one woman’s fight against adversity and the struggle to find her voice amongst the personal and geographical displacement of WWII.
GLORIA
Critics
LemonMeter
Reviews: 6
Audience
LemonMeter
Reviews: 4
Reviews
In each progressing monologue, Melinda Grace's confidence soars and star appeal shines bright... This show ensures a whimsical, yet gritty look at life, love, and the travails of a working actor on the big city.
The program does not note a director. Waller, a strong performer, could have used an outside eye to refine her performance. Still, her talent is apparent, and scenes of montage, dance choreography, film noir-style drama, and the use of props are exceptionally impressive for a one-person show in the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
gloria is glorious - an inspiring true tale of a woman's journey of self discovery and love during war time. amy takes you on an fun, inclusive entertaining journey from nz to the states with everything in between that we can all relate to. she's bold, brave, strong and absolutely exquisite in her honest and outstanding performance including a myriad of happenings that paint her colorful family story; including dance, baking, tea, poetry, humor, travel, human emotion, darkness, and triumph - all wrapped up in a vintage travel trunk.
A lovely show tonight by a lovely person, "Gloria" is an inventive, heartbreaking and more importantly, a story that made me question my own life and choices. Amy's clever and graceful performance left me with the feeling that maybe true strength comes from kindness, decency, and sincerity. If that's not what's worth protecting I'm not sure what is. I have wanted to see this show for a long time and am glad I did.
Gloria is a fabulous introduction to the life of Gloria Stanford, played superbly by Amy Walker. Worth seeing for great theater done beautifully, using a well crafted story that flows and captures the essence and the period. Wonderful.
Amy Waller packs a huge amount into her fascinating one woman show that highlights a little-remembered aspect of historical New Zealand/American relations. Her vibrant performance keeps it moving at a brisk pace as she nimbly jumps between a variety of tones and contexts. Plus dancing! Very much worth checking out!
With humour, choreography, pathos and a scone-making demonstration thrown in, this is a first class treat of imagination; a one-woman show that at heart is simple and well told.
In the telling of the tale of their own grandmother, Gloria Stanford, who took a stand to not leave New Zealand to follow the American soldier she loved during World War 2, creators Amy and Catherine Waller – with designer Naomi Bisley – have created a rich, refined work that captures the nuance and texture of the period in exactitude, through movement, text and technical skill.
Waller's finely choreographed performance captures the bubbly vivacity of her grandmother with an impressive recreation of the wildly energetic dance styles that fuelled the live-for-the-moment spirit of wartime romance.
Gloria is a lovely, nostalgic and genuine tribute to a remarkable woman, created with all the care, detail and love that you would expect from proud grand daughters Amy and Catherine Waller.
In each progressing monologue, Melinda Grace's confidence soars and star appeal shines bright... This show ensures a whimsical, yet gritty look at life, love, and the travails of a working actor on the big city.
The program does not note a director. Waller, a strong performer, could have used an outside eye to refine her performance. Still, her talent is apparent, and scenes of montage, dance choreography, film noir-style drama, and the use of props are exceptionally impressive for a one-person show in the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
With humour, choreography, pathos and a scone-making demonstration thrown in, this is a first class treat of imagination; a one-woman show that at heart is simple and well told.
In the telling of the tale of their own grandmother, Gloria Stanford, who took a stand to not leave New Zealand to follow the American soldier she loved during World War 2, creators Amy and Catherine Waller – with designer Naomi Bisley – have created a rich, refined work that captures the nuance and texture of the period in exactitude, through movement, text and technical skill.
Waller's finely choreographed performance captures the bubbly vivacity of her grandmother with an impressive recreation of the wildly energetic dance styles that fuelled the live-for-the-moment spirit of wartime romance.
Gloria is a lovely, nostalgic and genuine tribute to a remarkable woman, created with all the care, detail and love that you would expect from proud grand daughters Amy and Catherine Waller.
gloria is glorious - an inspiring true tale of a woman's journey of self discovery and love during war time. amy takes you on an fun, inclusive entertaining journey from nz to the states with everything in between that we can all relate to. she's bold, brave, strong and absolutely exquisite in her honest and outstanding performance including a myriad of happenings that paint her colorful family story; including dance, baking, tea, poetry, humor, travel, human emotion, darkness, and triumph - all wrapped up in a vintage travel trunk.
A lovely show tonight by a lovely person, "Gloria" is an inventive, heartbreaking and more importantly, a story that made me question my own life and choices. Amy's clever and graceful performance left me with the feeling that maybe true strength comes from kindness, decency, and sincerity. If that's not what's worth protecting I'm not sure what is. I have wanted to see this show for a long time and am glad I did.
Gloria is a fabulous introduction to the life of Gloria Stanford, played superbly by Amy Walker. Worth seeing for great theater done beautifully, using a well crafted story that flows and captures the essence and the period. Wonderful.
Amy Waller packs a huge amount into her fascinating one woman show that highlights a little-remembered aspect of historical New Zealand/American relations. Her vibrant performance keeps it moving at a brisk pace as she nimbly jumps between a variety of tones and contexts. Plus dancing! Very much worth checking out!