Yesterday I saw Storm Large’s play, Crazy Enough. Although it is everything you want: raw, sexy, gross, sad, and inviting, I have to admit she looked tired. I got the feeling that although she appreciates her part in the ever-expanding-majesty that has become Storm Large, she didn't seem thrilled to be there. At least not at first. But hey, it was her 91st performance and if you only got one day off a week and had to relive the pain and suffering from your life you might be a little tired too. I’m used to her energy being vivacious, contagious, and riling, but last night something stirred underneath her poker-face. Luckily she is a good performer. Scratch that: she is an extraordinary performer with the gusto of Mick Jagger, the courage of Philip Petit and the sex appeal of Mariyn Monroe. After 20 minutes she was lubed-up and roaring. The show went off without a hitch.
The play is an excruciatingly honest story about her relationship to her mentally ill mother, her drug addiction, growing up tall and lost, and above all - the celebration of life and the driving spirit that keeps her alive. Granted, she could get on stage and sing twinkle twinkle little star, fart, cough and spit, and I would still tell you she is amazing (because she is.) However, what I realized 20 minutes into the show was that “Crazy Enough” is not just a story of her life, it’s a way for her to keep her mother alive.
I remember watching her sing Wish You Were Here , as a dedication to her mother on Rock Star: Supernova. She cries as she sings. Little did I know at the time that her mother had been addicted to pills, had tried to commit suicide numerous times, and had been admitted to a mental ward. That, and when Storm was 9 she was told that “mental illness” was hereditary and she would be insane by her twenties. Talk about a death sentence for a child. In the play Storm admits to wishing her mother would die and how much she hated her mother at times, but the irony is that the play allows Storm to relive this story over and over and over and over…92 times if you count her performance tonight. Here’s the thing: I’m jealous of Storm because she has managed to not
only keep her mother alive, but do it gracefully. (My father died last
fall, it broke me, so I get it.) The play has been extended to July 26th. Which means she gets to relive it a whole lot more. Better than therapy I guess, and it’s profitable. )
After a lot of hoot and hollarin’ from the audience she came alive, she found her place on stage, and gave us the gift of letting us into her world. Standing 6 feet tall she was glowing like a queen. One of the main things I love about her is how she exudes truth, love, and dirt - at the same time. There is nothing that comes closer to witnessing the divine than when you see someone being authentically true. Storm has mastered the word “real.”
So even when she is tired, there is an energy that pours out of her. Like a big wave she bursts, and you get pulled in. Once you are in, you are hers and at her mercy. She takes no prisoners and takes you to places high and low. Sometimes she takes you to scary places you may not want to go, yet you are grateful that you went for the ride.
Crazy Enough is not to be missed. You will walk out inspired, happy, sad, and crazy about Storm.
What: Storm Large in ‘Crazy Enough”
Where: Portland Center Stage”
When: Now through July 26th Tuesday – Saturday 7:30 pm, Sunday 2:00 pm
Cost: Tickets from $25.50- $48.50 with student and under 18 discounts available
For more information or to buy tickets, check out the Portland Center Stage site here.
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