Michael is a charming storyteller! A wonderful mix of honesty, humor, and insight mixed into the raw recounting of some of the harshest tragedies that could befall a person, losing parents and losing a home... all in one year! Birthday is a celebration of life and death and connecting to the tether of sanity that guides us through all of it with humor and grace.
Michael’s sense of humor kept a smile on my face even as he faced some of the harshest aspects that reality has to offer. His stories were moving, his presence captivating, and his insight generous. I felt inspired and grateful to have been able to experience the intimacy of what he was presenting us. A gift indeed!
Returning to LA to record albums of spoken word and song, Lisa teamed up with composer and musician Frank Simes collaborating on music, multimedia, and musical theatre. Verlo and Simes staged their original musical The Door at the Sierra Madre Playhouse in 2012. Lisa performed her one woman show Sex Rated G at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2015 and the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2018.
Lisa’s second solo show, HOLLYWOODN’T, delves into sexual harassment within the entertainment industry and pays homage to the bravery and empowerment of the #MeToo movement. Directed by and developed with Jessica Lynn Johnson, HOLLYWOODN’T was featured at SOLOFEST 2019, the largest solo theatre festival on the West Coast. HOLLYWOODN’T was also presented at the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2019, where it won a Producer’s Encore Award and received a nomination for the Larry Cornwall Award for Musical Excellence.
HOLLYWOODN’T was a featured show of the Binge Fringe Festival of Free Theatre at the Santa Monica Playhouse, Nov 3, 2019, as well as Soaring Solo and the Lounge Theatre's SOLO STARS SERIES Jan 26, 2020. Lisa will also be performing HOLLYWOODN'T at SOLOFEST March 15, 2020.