E-i-E-i-OY! In Bed With the Farmer's Daughter, is in turns, funny, poignant, and cringeworthy. But it's mostly funny. Vivien's comedic timing is flawless as she invites the audience along with her on the tale of a naive farm girl trying to make her way in the big city, and a man who came for dinner one night, and didn't leave for three years.
Her portrayal of Bolley, her Czechoslovakian boyfriend/rash-that-wouldn't-go-away, is pitch-perfect. As she tells the story of a series of bad decisions, all inspired by a desire to please her father, the audience laughs with her at first, then ends up laughing at her. We think she's learned her lesson, then cringe as she makes the same mistakes again.
"I know," she says directly to the audience at one point, "You want to slap me right now." And we do want to slap her. But we also love her, and want to save her from herself. However, we know, and in the end she learns, that only she can do that.
Vivien seamlessly and impressively morphs into over a dozen believable characters with several different accents during the one-hour performance. During a scene at a family gathering, the audience watches her transform into five characters in quick succession.
Throughout the performance Vivien drops delightful tidbits of wisdom gleaned from the cows she grew up around on her father's dairy in Marin. The writing is tight, the acting spot on, and the story funny and memorable. We found ourselves laughing again and again on the drive home as we remembered our favorite parts.
Highly recommended!!! read more