Describing herself as “an Old School diva, aging in a New Age,” Lea Adams shares moments of trying to live life with gusto no matter what. Early black-and-white images projected on the back wall show a youngster stuck in a hospital for months with a debilitating leg ailment. While she healed physically, a lingering loneliness pervaded her life — you can hear it in the stories and see glimpses of her sadness in her eyes looking out at you. Thus, she took on the role of a “chameleon,” changing and shifting to get through hard times. Living through the early days of segregation, she was caught in different worlds, affluent enough to attend a Jewish school while always being the outsider, “wanting to be different while longing to belong.”
Adams is supported by loving family members including her husband Wally Ashy who directed the piece and her granddaughter Tierra Ashby who brings out placards of content information. Reading from her soon-to-be-published memoir Nobody’s Native, Adams shares her sightings of such stars as Josephine Baker and Carl Bernstein; she was even in a back tent when Hendrix hit the stage, changing her look and manner as needed. While the Chameleon Chronicles is an entertaining jaunt down memory lane and Adams is personable and captivatingly genuine, the piece hits moments in fleeting succession without depth or exploration. As a work in progress, it’s an apt beginning that will hopefully fill and blossom with effort and time.
Running Time: 60 minutes
Genre: Solo/Drama
Dates and Times: (This show’s run has ended.)
Venue: Bliss, 1122 Connecticut Avenue NW
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: Chameleon Chronicles
The complete 2024 Capital Fringe Festival schedule is online here.
Chameleon Chronicles
Playwright: Lea Adams
Director: Wally Ashby
Elise Perry, technical director
Performers: Lea Adams, Tierra Ashby