Edinburgh Fringe 2016
Low Down
A glimpse into the conflicts women suffer when coming to terms with their sexuality.
Review
We have seen thousands of stories about the conflict and agony gay men suffer when they come to terms with their sexuality, but there are very few shows that examine the conflict and even the terror a woman feels when she realises she is a lesbian. Lynne Jassem tells us her story in a combination of quips, tap dancing and mime. From Como to Homo is a fast paced energetic recounting of a little girl who didn’t want to be a little girl. Her mother was a Rockette who wanted her little girl to be famous as a girl.
The videos in this show take you back to a time filled with glitter and glitz and a tormented child who wanted the fame and recognition her mother sought for her but in a different way. She wanted desperately to be herself and the conflicting emotions tore her apart. She was an invalid with ulcerative colitis for several years, home schooled, afraid to go out, afraid to be herself.
She began her career on stage as one of Como-ettes, back up singers for Perry Como. “I saw stars everywhere, Bob Hope, Roy rogers and even Trigger (stuffed). There is humour in this show that is laugh out loud but underneath the smart remarks and the quips, is a countermelody of sadness, confusion and doubt that smothered a lovely little girl who only wanted to be a boy. She say “All I wanted to do was marry Cheryl Jacobs.” She goes to a psychiatrist who asks her what she would really like and she says, “What I really wanted was a pizza.” Eventually her torment eases and she feels better about herself, but she is always fighting to get out of the shadow of her mother’s determination to mould her into a stage star.
This reviewer would have liked a deeper exploration into how she overcame her self loathing and realized what a beautiful person she is.
Because Lynne Jassem at 70 years of age is a real star She tap dances, acts, sings and does it all with energy and style that puts most performers to shame. I loved this show.
