Whitefire Theatre’s “Best of the Fest” continues with a powerful solo performance by Kamakshi Hart, writer and performer of her own very personal story. Developed and directed by Jessica Lynn Johnson, WILD AT HART uses both song and story to share the aftermath of childhood sexual trauma with the audience. An aftermath of depression, violence, and abusive relationships in a never-ending downward spiral which doesn’t seem to have a stopping point. And yet it does. Kamakshi brings 20 people from her journey to life on the stage as she turns hopeless into hopeful. And lonely to lovable.
Depending on her lovely intense voice and her supple mannerisms, Kamakshi builds a tale of horrors beginning in her childhood – horrors including both physical and sexual abuse -culminating in her attraction to abusive men in adulthood. But when all seems lost, she discovers something inside herself yearning to become independent and whole. With the help of yoga, Eastern philosophy, and her own form of spirituality, she embarks on her slow but steady trip to health.
WILD AT HART documents Kamakshi’s voyage with honesty and vulnerability. This is a tale which will surely prove therapeutic for many in the audience. At the same time, it is also an entertaining story of one woman’s tough and unvarnished view of her experiences and how they have molded her behaviors. The stage is almost empty – with every focus on Kamakshi and her penetrating dissection of her layered personality. Passion and pain blend as she mercilessly examines herself.
WILD AT HART works very well on the streaming platform, in no small part because of Kamakshi’s forceful portrayal of her life and loves. She has a knack for populating her account with unique individuals – and especially with her own “Shame.” That she ultimately rises above the stigma of her past is a tribute to the human capacity to hope.
WILD AT HART streamed at 7 p.m. on Thursday September 17, 2020. The show will be available on demand until September 19, 2020. Tickets are $15.99 with a surcharge of .87 cents. For tickets and information call the Whitefire Theatre at 818-687-8559 or go online.
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