Stacie Burrows is an L.A.-based musician, comedian, and writer of solo theatrical shows, including last year’s Bulletproof Unicorn. Her work is based in autobiography, with plenty of jokes and original songs served with the storytelling and catharsis. Her newest show, Laughable, will run at the Hollywood Fringe Festival this summer and officially premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival later this year — but Santa Barbara audiences can see it first at a one-night-only workshop performance at Center Stage Theater on Friday, April 26.
Starring Burrows and directed by Katierose Donohue Enriquez, Laughable is a musical comedy that explores life in the sandwich generation, with Burrows struggling to maintain quality of life for herself, her children, and her elderly parents. She muses about the betrayals of the physical body, which intensify with age and pressure, illustrating the point with her own list of recent diagnoses. Doctors ask her if she’s stressed out, to which she offers an emphatic “yes!”
“I try all kinds of things to alleviate the stress,” says Burrows. “Some of them work, some of them don’t, and some of them are just comical… It’s California. You can go see a guru or a shaman or a witch in the desert.” The story is punctuated with several original songs, including one called “Hot Mess Helpers,” about realizing that those you’ve sought help from are more messed up than you are.
Burrows notes that when creating a solo show, generally it’s best to write from your scars, not your open wounds — but acknowledges that this material is a little bit of both. “My therapy,” she says, “is comedy and music.”
For more information, visit the show’s website (stacieburrows.com). See Laughable at Center Stage for a chance to relate to the ludicrous nature of modern living. It’s not a breakdown, it’s a musical comedy!
