Written by Hogan Gorman
Directed by Isaac Klein
New York International Fringe Festival
Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center
107 Suffolk Street
Hogan Gorman, a model turned waitress was aspiring to be a successful actress. Her dreams crashed, literally, when a car smashed into her on the streets of Manhattan. Following what should have been a deadly accident, Hogan survives and we find ourselves getting to know the . A one-woman show, Hogan addresses the audience directly, like catching up with an old friend; she guides us through her horrendous experience of being a young woman in New York without health insurance. Gasp.
Hogan dryly demands attention, contrasting her once hopeless interactions with the health care workers who waved off her torn ligaments, vision and memory loss, and a herniated lumbar spine. She explains the facts with strong impulse, attempting to resist physical weakness, and bravely describes how she lost herself throughout her years of being a nameless file. Her predicament raises notable problems within our nation’s welfare, insurance and healthcare systems.
Gorman imitates many of the strangers she met along her agonizing journey, changing her accent and posture every time someone new enters her world. Throughout her 90-minute script, Gorman is a convincing Midwestern mother with a nasal twang, and then shifts to “Doctor McBrain,” left side nerd, right side on ecstasy. Hogan slumps her shoulders and sheds a few tears when left with a cold nod and more paperwork. The drama goes as far as suicide 15 minutes before Gorman finishes her rant. Happily, her tragedy didn’t legitimize, realizing Mark Twain and laughter could solve almost every predicament.
Receiving appraising laughs at appropriate times,
