Bedtime for O.J.
Livia Scott mines inexplicable adoration of O.J.
Simpson for character fodder in solo show.
Livia
Scott is bringing back her one-woman show “Goodnight O.J.,” which she
has been performing awhile, for another run.
The show (seen November 1), a performance based on letters to O.J.
Simpson while he awaited trial for the murder of Nicole Brown and Ron
Goldman, finds Scott portraying the personalities she imagines for the
letter writers (Simpson himself published all the letters around the
time of his trial in a book). The show isn’t purely comedy although it
does send up the naïveté of the letter writers.
Scott adds a bit of drama in the tone of some of the portrayals, and the
show even borders on performance art at times. Her portrayals are
interspersed with some video footage of O.J., including some of his
1970s commercials.
In Scott’s portrayals that make up “Goodnight O.J.,” she mines similar
tones as she’s used for characters (or impersonations) she’s done
before, such as Tammy Faye, and her own creation, Cynthia Falconcrest,
for some of the mannerisms, such as a few different squeaky-voiced
little kids -- about whom you wonder why their parents even let them
write supportive letters to O.J.
The dramatic touches come as Scott plays a rationalizing abused wife who
also inexplicably wrote a supportive letter to O.J., as well as a
strong-chinned tough guy who writes things like how lucky O.J. is to
have a supportive friend like A.C. Cowlings, and other reverential
thoughts.
The end effect of Scott’s juxtaposing amusing characters and more
serious dramatic portrayals is that “Goodnight O.J.” as a whole piece
becomes a bit puzzling. As a gifted performer, Scott draws you in with
the portrayals, but in the end, you’re uncertain where she means to take
you.
Livia Scott’s “Goodnight O.J.” returns to the UCB Theatre on November
15 and 29. |