Edinburgh Fringe 2023
How to Find a Husband in 37 Years or Longer
JJ Pyle
Venue: theSpace@Surgeons Hall
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
With pathos and humour, J J Pyle takes the audience on a wild ride through failed relationships – hers and those of her four-times married father.
Review
Family dynamics can be complicated. Just ask J J Pyle. In her new show, she brilliantly brings to life her many relationships, both with her dates and with her father. She is quite hilarious but also a sympathetic character, as she has us hoping for her to find the right partner for life. She weaves in videos and photos from family to bring depth to the presentation and make personal story very relatable.
The show opens with her heading to India for her roommate’s wedding, a dream vacation. There are the frustrating phone calls with the airline about cancelled flights. Anyone who has ever tried to speak with an airline or a large corporation can relate to being put endlessly on hold only to end up with no solution. She escalates the heat on stage as she paces and raises her voice in increasing frustration. And that dream bubble is burst with all of the delays. Her recounting of the encounters portrayed with physical comedy and punchy lines is very funny.
Cut to scenes with her father. J J slouches back in her chair and puts on a very convincing drawl to introduce us to her dad. He is a Southerner with definite biases. She’s had to steel herself to manage the long drive with him. She rides in a truck with her Dad to her married sister’s new house in rural Indiana. Along the way, she recounts their often difficult conversations. His view of the world shows his biases that she does not embrace.
He is no great example for her. He has been arrested for growing marijuana. He has been married four times and cheated on some of the wives. But as J J voices her father, she shows him to be satisfied with his life.
She just wants a nice, stable relationship. She believes in love because she feels that she can’t move on with her life until she finds the right person. Throughout the show we are introduced to the various ex-boyfriends. She makes each one come alive with detailed descriptions and character portrayals.
Living in Los Angeles, she catches the first boyfriend with another woman. That motivates her to start a list of who not to date: actors, directors, producers, musicians, people you are in a play with, and more.
As the dating continues to go badly, her list increases: ex pro-athletes, models, people you work with, and more. There is the French guy from Florida, a man who turns out to be married, the person who stops replying to her communications, and even an ex she labels “Maybe Someday.” A gent from Columbia seems right for her, but two years later there is heartbreak.
Anyone can write a list. J J makes it entertainment. Her split-second timing turns boring into very funny, as we imagine each one of these rejected characters.
She constantly is second guessing herself as to why she can’t seem to create a lasting relations. There is a poignant reconnection with her father, who advises her that it is better to have someone in your life and weather the storm.
She is still looking, at age 37. J J is charming, delightful, talented, and fun. There will be someone who is just right for her someday. We leave the show rooting for her to find “Mr. Right”.
This show is for anyone who has ever been in a relationship or who ever hopes to be in a relationship. It is witty, clever, sad, happy, and thoroughly entertaining. Should you take J J’s advice on who to avoid? Maybe, but you will have to decide for yourself.
JJ Pyle is a New York-based actor and writer, whose film and TV credits include Criminal Minds, Boardwalk Empire, Law and Order: Criminal Intent and FBI: Most Wanted, and was the $10,000 winner of the Food Network’s 24 Hour Restaurant
Battle with her restaurant concept …& Jelly! She is a member of the InViolet Theatre Company and the co-founder of Solo Heroes, a group of artists who workshop and develop solo shows. Directed by Mark Cirnigliaro (Jersey City Theater Center), How To Find A Husband… premiered at NYC’s Under St Marks in September 2022. JJ performed it at The Broadwater Studio and the Whitefire Theatre Solofest, Los Angeles, where it was awarded Best of Fest.
