Review: Move Fast to See "Furious"

Furious

Written and performed by Emily Fury Daly

Presented by Manhattan Theatre Source and FRIGID New York in collaboration with Arts on Site and 721 Decatur Community Garden at UNDER St. Marks

94 St. Marks Place, Manhattan, NYC (and via livestreaming)

March 23-24, 2023

Emily Fury Daly. Photo by Kat Soriano
Furious, the hilarious solo show from actor and comedian Emily Fury Daly, includes no shortage of meta moments that underscore its iconoclastic humor–from Daly's pre-show dancing in a pink reflective vest, sunglasses, and headphones to artists such as Fiona Apple and Dolly Parton (a public private display that could be said to characterize many solo shows), to her incorporating the usual pre-show announcements (along with some others) into the show itself, to her consistently drawing attention to the genre commonplaces of the show's structure. Furious is currently part of the EstroGenius Festival, themed Ban(ned) Together in its twenty-second year of spotlighting "femme, non-binary, non-conforming, and trans womxn artists." EstroGenius 2023 features dance, comedy, a new play reading, multidisciplinary works, and, of course, solo shows (including The GynoKid, chosen from the 2023 FRIGID Festival to play EstroGenius: you can read our review from that earlier run here). With Furious, Daly gives a propulsive performance in which parody and persona blend seamlessly with, and act as a vehicle for, moments of reflection and critique.
Emily Fury Daly. Photo by Kat Soriano
Daly, or, within the show, Fury, discusses, among other topics, her experience as a part-time special ed student, the misogyny of dress codes, the colorful line of Fury women from which she comes, as well as how the surname came to be shortened to Fury in the first place, and her volunteer work as an escort for Planned Parenthood, a role that she took up after quitting alcohol. Even in discussing, say, her childhood, she plays with metatheatricality, noting that she never wore a schoolgirl skirt like the one that she dons in the show but that it is useful for audience visualization. Furious is also one of the only shows in which a "look under your seat" joke is not actually, or not only, a joke. Some light audience interaction only adds to the laughs precipitated by Daly's consummate comic timing and intensity, sometimes escalating to an almost breathless delivery. Furious will be moving to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, so see it before you have to pay for airfare as well as admission.

-John R. Ziegler and Leah Richards

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