B103 at Mount Vernon United Methodist Church
Remaining Performances:
Tuesday, July 17, 8:15 p.m.
Thursday, July 19, 6 p.m.
Saturday, July 21, 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 28, 5:15 p.m.
They say: “The mysterious Miss Hiccup lives alone, but is definitely not lonely. She is forever accompanied by a raucous cast of sounds and music that make her life an absurd adventure.”
Lindsey’s Take: Peeking into the lives of strangers can be a guilty pleasure, voyeuristic or a little creepy, but rarely is it so delightfully wacky as A Day in the Life of Miss Hiccup. She is aptly named, as this mysterious affliction plagues her throughout the show. Luckily, she doesnt talk much, but she does sing opera, mimic sound effects, chatter into a disconnected phone receiver. And she dances, from a toothbrushing mambo to her morning techno calisthenics, all performed in a yellow skirt with bright pink bloomers peeking out and her hair done up in flowers.
The daily routine is a familiar one for the artist Yanomi, who has brought the endearingly quirky Miss Hiccup to other Fringe Fests around the continent, but the joy she exudes in the role doesnt seem to have diminished. She still delights in a well-placed whoopee cushion, sings an afternoon Toreador, and chases the musical leaks in her tiny apartment with an even more miniature parasol.
She is a spectacle indeed, as she unselfconsciously regards the audience while going about her day, providing a soundtrack for her activities and graciously awaiting audience applause. She keeps a pet slipper, a squeaky little fellow with googly eyes who has a habit of sneaking into the audience unless she reads it a story. She sings rock ballads to the baby crying in a nearby apartment, pretends to water a few audience members, and plays tennis with her imaginary eyeball, but cries jingle bells as her day comes to an end.
Perhaps thats a metaphor for life, for loneliness, for being disconnected from reality, where were meant to see ourselves reflected in her colorful smile and oversized purple glasses but then again, perhaps she simply sets out to share the joy of flowers, opera, and a little applause in a fantasy world of her own design.
See It If: Silly, quirky, and whoopee are words you enjoy.
Skip It If: A monologue should have words. Or you’re a suggestible hypochondriac.